01.06.2010 10:39
Belletti: “Barca shouldn’t fear anybody”
Edgar Fornós
Giuliano Belletti won five titles in his three seasons at Barca and speaking to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat he insisted: “this Barca team is capable of anything. They don’t need to fear anybody”.
Belletti, who is still at Chelsea, explained that even though other teams would be strengthening
for next season, that shouldn’t worry Barca: “this team have shown themselves to be
worthy champions and what’s more they’ve done it playing brilliant football. I
don’t think they need to fear any other team, they just need to focus on themselves”.
“Mourinho is a winner”
Belletti has played both for and against Real Madrid’s new boss,
facing him as a Barca player on six occasions between 2004 and 2007 and then signing for him at
Chelsea and he admitted: “he’s a winner, you have to give him that. He won everything
in Portugal, in England and now in Italy. I was only under him for a few weeks at Chelsea, but I
learnt a lot from him. He’s a very smart guy”.
“
Paris had a special feel”
Belletti will always be remembered by the Barca fans for his 2006 Champions League
Final goal in Paris and the Brazilian explained: “it was a tough game. It was raining and the
pitch wasn’t too good. We were losing even though we were a man up on them. I think it was a
much more hard fought final than some of the others Barca have won and that gives it a special
feel”.
Unexpected goal
Rijkaard started Belletti on the bench for that game and he didn’t come on
until after the break. He was sent on to push the team forward, but he never imagined he’d be
the scorer of the winning goal: “as a full back, the last thing you are thinking about is
scoring. I remember when he sent me on, Rijkaard telling me to attack and get crosses into their
area, but I never thought I’d be getting the winning goal”.