FC Barcelona’s international players will be performing in a number of competitions, including the Copa America, European Under-21 and World Under 19 championships before they begin their summer breaks.
Four friendly games for eight Barça players
Eight of the squad will face four friendlies before they can start their summer breaks: the Spanish
contingent face USA this Saturday in Boston, before travelling to Puerto La Cruz to face Venezuela
On June 7th. Abidal faced Belorussia on Friday and Afellay will face Alves and Adriano this
Saturday when Brazil meet Holland.
Copa Amèrica
From July 1st to 24th, the Copa America will be played in Argentina and the host
nation’s coach Sergio Batista has called up three Barça players -Messi, Mascherano and
Milito. All three will join up with the Argentine squad on 8th June in Ereiza and are due to play a
friendly against Albania in Buenos Aires on June 20th, before kicking off their Copa America
campaign against Bolivia on July 1st.
Brazil are the other team in the Copa America with Barça players. Alves and Adriano are both
in the pre-tournament squad of 28 players called up by coach Mano Menezes. Brazil will play two
friendlies ahead of the competition, which they start on July 3rd against Venezuela, against
Holland on Sunday and then on June 7th against Rumania.
European Under-21
Two of the first team squad, Bojan and Jeffren, and three Barça B players, Miño,
Montoya and Thiago, have been called up for the Spanish Under-21 squad which will compete in the
European Championships in Denmark from 8th to 25th June. This Sunday they will play a friendly
against Russia in Soria and begin the Championships with a match against England on June 12th.
World Under-20s
From July 29th to August 20th, Colombia will host the World Under-20 Championships.
Julen Lopetegui has still not named his Spanish squad, but players such as Sergi Gómez, Oriol Romeu
and Muniesa have been regulars in his team.
Under 19s
This Sunday, the Spanish Under 19 team play the final game in their European Under
19 Elite classification round for the competition proper which will be held in Rumania between 20th
July and August 1st. The game against England will feature Barça youngsters Sergi Roberto, Marc
Muniesa, Sergi Gómez and Gerard Deulofeu.