FC BARCELONA & LIONEL MESSI ARRIVE IN MALAYSIA !

The Barça squad arrived in Kuala Lumpur at around 14.45pm (Malaysian time) after a two-hour flight from Bangkok, Thailand

Barca 's Lionel Messi

The visit is part of the final leg of the FC Barcelona Asia Tour 2013, supported by Malaysia Major Events, a division of Malaysia Convention & Exhibition Bureau (MyCEB), an agency under the Ministry of Tourism & Culture Malaysia.

Barcelona Arriving in KL _ NST

Barcelona Arriving in KL - NST

A full Barca side minus captain Carles Puyol arrived at the One World Hotel, Kuala Lumpur in two buses at 3.45pm much to the excitement screams from the fans.

Barcelona's Neymar being surrounded by fans in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Barca's Cesc Fabregas arriving at the  One World Hotel in Malaysia

Barca's Lionel Messi arriving at One World Hotel in Malaysia

And though the players were quickly whisked away, they did manage to catch a quick glimpse of Victor Valdes, Lionel Messi, Neymar and Cesc Fabregas amongst others with only Fabregas obliging the fans by signing a shirt.

Some of the players were also presented with kain pelikat on arrival as a symbol of Malaysian hospitality.

The Training session which will held tomorrow will be telecast live in Kuala Lumpur on channel 834. That's how big the buzz that has been created in the city of Kuala Lumpur. Some fans celebrating the Muslim Festival of Hari Raya Aidilfitri have stayed back in the city just to attend the match

Feeling great after winning 7-1 in Bangkok, Tata Martino and his side now have three days in Malaysia before returning to Barcelona.

In Kuala Lumpur, the capital of the country on the coast of the Malaya Peninsula, Barça have a friendly on Saturday against a local combination. It’s the first time that FC Barcelona have ever visited the country.

The flight from Bangkok took two hours, but the players had to spend an extra hour and a half on board the plane before it took off.

The delay means today’s schedule is going to be especially tight. Leo Messi and Cesc Fàbregas will be speaking to the press in the One World Hotel. After that, the full squad will be going to the Shah Alam Stadium for a training session behind closed doors.

FC Barcelons's Lionel Messi at the Press Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Barca's Cesc Fabregas at the Press Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Fans are hoping the Malaysian Team does not get steam rolled like what happened to the Thai team when they lost 7-1 to Barcelona.

Barcelona Vs Thailand 7-1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ep0ujbV4IY

Brazil forward Neymar scored his first goal for Barcelona as the Spanish champions hammered a Thailand XI 7-1 in a friendly in Bangkok on Wednesday.

The 57 million-euro signing from Santos opened the scoring after only 11 minutes, nudging home a low cross from Cesc Fabregas in front of a crowd of just over 48,000, reports Reuters.

He started in a front three with world player of the year Lionel Messi, who scored twice, and Spain forward Pedro, who hit a hat-trick.

"Friendly games like these help me to see different possibilities, variations, but clearly the idea is that he (Neymar) progresses," new Barca coach Gerardo 'Tata' Martino told a news conference.

"From the game against Santos to today he has improved.

"The link-up between the two (Messi and Neymar) is what most caught the eye. They connected well, they scored, but they also linked up well with the other players."

In-form Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez scored Barca's seventh as a second-half substitute.

Barca play a friendly, against a Malaysia XI in Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday before returning to Spain that very night to finish their preparations for the start of the La Liga season, and their opening match at home to Levante on Aug 18.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have received a bid from Barcelona for their Brazil international defender David Luiz.

The 26-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Benfica for around £21m in January 2011, has been a long-term target for the Catalan giants.

-REUTERS-

While Barcelona touches down in Kuala Lumpur Talksport reports Fabregas Insist he is staying at Barcelona!

The 27-year-old is the man David Moyes wants as his first marquee signing at Old Trafford, but the Premier League champions have already failed with two bids for the Catalan star.
Moyes insisted he would prepare a fresh bid, but that also looks doomed to failure after Fabregas revealed his desire to stay in Spain.

Speaking for the first time about his future, he said from the club’s pre-season tour in Malaysia:  'My dream has always been to play at Barça and nothing has changed. I'm very, very happy here and I never thought about leaving.

“I never had any doubt. It has cost me a lot to return to Barça and now I want to triumph here.
“It's an honour United made two bids, but there have been no talks. I haven’t talked with any club since I joined Barça two years ago.

“I've always felt valued by the club. Everyone told me they count on me, I’ve never had any sign that made me think otherwise.

“I didn't have to clear anything up, because for me it was clear I wanted to stay. I told the club I'd talk when it was my turn.

“Things have been invented. It's also not true that I have asked for a contract renewal.”

- TALKSPORT-