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13 November 2006
My summer 2006
Barça - Xavier President: Summer 2006
SalaiMartin.com
  
 

My SUMMER 2006 in Pictures. I was celebrating the UEFA Championship...

(Yes, on May 17th 2006, FC Barcelona beat London's Arsenal in the final of the UEFA Champions League. Here are some pictures of the event):

The Goal

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Team

 

 

 

 

 


Holding the Cup with President Joan Laporta...

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and with Coach Frank Rijkaard

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, suddenly, in the middle of the celebration... I became the President of the Club. Yes, the President of FC Barcelona!!!

Here is how some of the Barcelona Press announced it.

Announcements of the News in the Catalan/Spanish press:

El Periodico de Catalunya
La Vanguardia
Avui
El Mundo Deportivo
Sport

And so, I had to be the President... and here are some of the pictures of what I had to do.

I Presented our new players (Gudjohnsen, Thuram and Zambrotta) in Los Angeles

in the picture, Barça's Footbal Director, Txiki Beguiristain, Gudjohnsen, Xavier, Thuram, Zambrotta and coach Frank Rijkaard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attended practice sessions...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presided over a games ...
(this one at Los Angeles Coliseum)

 

 

 

 

 

 

I walked the Red Carpet in front of the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I got to meet a few celebrities like... SUPERMAN!

 

 

 

 

 

 

...Kobe Bryant...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

...The most beautiful person in the Universe... (she is the one on the left)

 

 

 

 

 


... Jeffrey Sachs...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

... and a Gigolo called Deuce Bigalow (Rob Schneider)

 

 

 

 

 


I got to go to NASA with our team

The words "Houston we have a problem" were heard in this room...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


I met the NASA Director

 

 

 

 

 

Ronaldinho with the Brazillian Astronaut Marcos Pontes

 

 

 

 



Pontes, Xavier and Sylvinho

 

 

 

 

 

 



The three captains (Puyol, Ronaldinho and Xavi) and Frank got to talk to the three astronauts at the international space station...












I also visited a Hospital for Children in Houston with our players

(in the picture with Marquez, Puyol, Messi, Belletti and Zambrotta)

 

 

 

 

 


In New York I went to the United Nations with Ronaldinho

in this picture with Roberto de Assis (Ronaldinho's brother), Ronaldinho, Koffi Annan and Lillian Thuram

 

 

 

 




Giving a Barça book to Mr Annan

 

 

 

 

 


Ronaldinho was named Goodwill Ambassador for the UNDP









I signed autographs

 

 

 

 

 



In New York I met the President of the NY Red Bulls and the Commissioner of MSL, Don Garber

 

 

 

 

 


At the end of the Red Bulls game in New York I met some of our most dedicated American Fans (their bodies read R10 -which is Ronaldinho's brand)

 

 

 

 

 


The back of our fans...

 

 

 

 

 

 

I introduced our players to our fans in New York...

 

 

 

 

 

I got to make speeches

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I even got to preside over a game along with fellow Columbia professor (and President of the US Soccer Federation) Sunil Gulati! (what are the odds that two Columbia economics professors get to preside over a professional football/soccer game?)

Sunil is the man to my left and the man to his left is Don Garber (the commissioner of MLS) and the man to my right is the Spanish consulate to Los Angeles.

 

 

 



 


And got to watch lots of football games

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Sum, I had a really... let's say, peculiar, summer.

Who would have imagined!

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