Miniature Messi: Introducing new Barcelona wonderkid Alen Halilovic

The Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid has signed for the Catalans on a five-year contract. But just how good can the teenager become?

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PROFILEBy Luke Matthews

It was a winter of discontent for Barcelona in the transfer market. Not only did they not sign anyone, but the chaos surrounding Neymar's transfer last summer saw their president resign and the club accused of tax fraud allegations that they continue to deny.

However, two months on from the madness of the January window, the Catalans have got back into the swing of poaching the best talent on the planet by swooping for Croatian wonderkid Alen Halilovic from Dinamo Zagreb in a deal worth €2.2 million, which will rise with incentives.

Although the Blaugrana didn't confirm the story until Thursday morning, the 17-year-old had already suggested a move was imminent on social media, sharing his joy with the world that he had signed for Gerardo Martino's men.

"Thanks Dinamo Zagreb for everything!!" the three-times capped Croatia international wrote on his Instagram account. "My first club and biggest love!! Now is time to move on to Barcelona."

Halilovic has undeniable talent and, considering Dinamo's modest financial status, it was no surprise that the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester United had been scouting him since he emerged as a star-in-making 17 months ago.

His debut off the bench in September 2012 in a 3-1 win over bitter rivals Hajduk Split made him the youngest ever debutant in the Croatian top flight at 16 years and 102 days. Ten days later the attacking midfielder broke another record - this time becoming the league's youngest ever goalscorer after netting with a superb Lionel Messi-esque chip.

Despite the clamour of interest, it was Barca who convinced him to part with Dinamo in June - when his first professional contract ends - to give him the chance to link up with the likes of Lionel Messi in the distant future.


Miniature Messi | Halilovic has been likened to the four-time Ballon d'Or winner and future team-mate
Far from concidentally, the left-footed youngster's pace, dribbling ability, deadly finishing and deceptive strength considering his small frame have earned him comparisons to Barca's Argentine superstar - perhaps prematurely.

Barca are certainly getting a player with huge potential, a player who could develop into a world class attacker, but the fee of €10m is in danger of immediately piling the pressure on the teenager's shoulders.

Since he first shone at Dinamo early last season, there have been further flashes of brilliance but Halilovic has struggled to maintain consistency in a team where, in recent years, the likes of Mateo Kovacic and Milan Badelj dazzled at a similar age.
 
Still, Halilovic has an ability that only the top attacking players in world football possess: to ghost past players with ease in the final third. It’s this talent which undoubtedly persuaded Barca to fork out such a sum for a teenager despite already having what appears to be a conveyor belt of talented attackers emerging from their B team.

If Halilovic is to be a success at Camp Nou, Barca must keep the pressure off the young Croatian. This points to immediately putting the player to the B team to continue his development, alongside players of a similar age and talent.
 
Dinamo could never offer Halilovic a similar alternative - he embarrassed opponents at times representing Dinamo’s youth teams but the pressure, at times, has proven a little too much in front of the roar of the Maksimir Stadium. With that in mind, B team football could prove to be the perfect tonic for Croatia’s biggest talent.

Upon his emergence from the Dinamo youth ranks, there was genuine belief within the club that Halilovic was the best player in a generation to emerge from a club which has produced the likes of Luka Modric and Niko Kranjcar. Now he begins his road to leaving those names in the dust and living up his miniature Messi moniker.

Victor Valdes denied opportunity to end Barcelona career on his own terms

The goalkeeper suffered a cruciate ligament injury meaning that not only has he played his last game for the Catalans, he will also miss the World Cup. He deserved better

COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

After the ecstasy, came agony. Victor Valdes expressed his delight as Barcelona's defiant Clasico win over Real Madrid rejuvanted their title challenge, but just three days later his Camp Nou career is over and with it his hopes of turning out for Spain at the World Cup in Brazil. 

He had been desperate to leave the club on his own terms, and pained to remain faithful to his pre-defined date of departure. Now, he has been denied that opportunity, and one of Barcelona's finest-ever players won't be allowed to enjoy the fitting send-off his career merited.

Against Celta Vigo at Camp Nou, Valdes fell awkwardly after saving a Fabian Orellana free-kick at the second attempt and it soon became apparent that he was in real pain. As he went down, all the pressure went onto his knee and moments later he left the pitch on a stretcher, holding his face in extreme and excruciating discomfort.

As he departed, Neymar was close to tears and his best friend Andres Iniesta could barely manage a smile as he set up Lionel Messi for Barca's second goal of the night minutes later. The sight of their team-mate in such pain had hit the Barca players hard and in the end, they did well to close out an important 3-0 win.

"Valdes' injury changed the game," Iniesta said afterwards. "It was a fateful moment and the important thing now is that he recovers well." 

Coach Gerardo Martino added: "Valdes' injury is a big blow, but we'll keep going."


Playing with passion | Valdes' customary celebration won't be seen again at Camp Nou
Jose Pinto came on for Valdes and made a couple of smart saves, but the 38-year-old also produced one of his habitual moments of madness late on and subsequently set the alarm bells ringing himself as he collided with a post in an attempt to atone for his error.

Pinto is an able deputy, but his presence will not fill Barca with confidence in the final stages of La Liga and the Champions League, while he will now definitely play against Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey showpiece next month. "We won't sign another goalkeeper," Martino confirmed.

Valdes, meanwhile, faces a spell of at least six months on the sidelines as the Catalan club confirmed on Wednesday that the keeper has suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament.

This had been his best season at club level. Time after time he had made significant saves to see Barca through difficult moments. He held aspirations of replacing Iker Casillas in the starting line-up for Spain. He was particularly excited about playing in Brazil, a country where he has commercial ties and spent time with his family in the summer of 2012. He was also looking forward to bidding the Barca fans a fond farewell in his last league game. 

Now, cut down at the peak of his powers, those dreams are over and he could also see his options for a move restricted as he searches for a new club and a fresh experience in the summer. It will be September or October at least by the time he is ready to return.

Football can be cruel and the 32-year-old is the game's latest victim. His absence is a big blow for Barcelona and fans of the Catalan club didn't want to see him go at all. Seeing him depart on a stretcher at the end of March is a desperately sad sight for admirers of one the Blaugrana's greatest goalkeepers and most loyal servants. Victor Valdes deserved a better send-off than this

Madrid only have themselves to blame as title advantage goes up in smoke

Carlo Ancelotti's side went unbeaten for 31 games, but have now lost twice in the space of four days to leave their hopes of winning La Liga hanging in the balance

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COMMENT
By Ben Hayward | Spanish Football Writer

In the space of four days, Real Madrid's title challenge has careered off the rails after defeat at home to Barcelona and now a loss at Sevilla on Wednesday. On Sunday morning, Los Blancos were three points clear at the top. Now they're three off the pace - and they have nobody to blame but themselves.

While Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo ranted at the referee after the 4-3 loss to Barca, coach Carlo Ancelotti called for an immediate reaction - and for a while he looked like he'd get it. But Karim Benzema was wasteful in front of goal early on and when Madrid did go in front, through a fortuitous free-kick deflected in off the Sevilla wall, their lead lasted only four minutes. Stuff of champions it was not.

Dreadful defending allowed the home side back in it as Xabi Alonso lost the ball and Dani Carvajal went absent without leave as Sevilla struck on the counterattack through Carlos Bacca.

Still, Madrid seemed stronger. The visitors huffed and puffed in the remainder of the first half but lacked subtelty and showed desperation at times when cool heads and more guile were needed. Gareth Bale blasted over the bar and was berated by Ronaldo, yet the Portuguese later sent a speculative 40-yard effort sailing high, wide and not very handsome. Such selfishness hardly helped.


Much to ponder | After 31 games unbeaten, Ancelotti's side have lost two in four days
Ronaldo came close to making it 2-0 but again went for power when a dinked effort would have worked. Likewise Bale when he had just Beto and a Sevilla defender to beat from a tight angle and hit the ball straight at them. Had he kept his cool, however, the Welshman - in what was arguably his poorest outing since the summer move from Tottenham - could have looked up and seen Marcelo all alone at the back post, screaming for what would have been a simple tap-in.

It's those things that Barca do so well, while Madrid still seem to want to flatten teams with their pace and power. However, when another side matches their intensity and also plays on the break, that can prove difficult. That was the case with Sevilla.

As seen last season at the Sanchez Pizjuan and also at Dortmund in the Champions League last season, Madrid struggle against high-tempo teams and it is in these situations that their weaknesses come to the fore. Xabi Alonso looks lost among the maelstrom and lacks the pace to influence games as he would wish; Luka Modric is less comfortable in highly physical encounters; Ronaldo gets too frustrated too quickly; Benzema still misses more chances than he scores.

And then there's the defence. Marcelo is a great player but more of a wing-back than a natural defender, while Madrid missed the suspended Sergio Ramos on Wednesday and Carvajal's indiscipline and poor positioning will have led fans to the surprising conclusion that Alvaro Arbeloa is actually rather important to this team after all - especially in tough away games when defending is the order of the day.

MADRID LOSE GROUND: LA LIGA AFTER 30 GAMES

		P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
	Atletico Madrid	30	23	4	3	67	21	73
	Barcelona	30	23	3	4	88	25	72
	Real Madrid	30	22	4	4	81	32	70

To make matters worse, even Diego Lopez looked suspect as Bacca netted what proved to be the winner with 18 minutes left. The Galician goalkeeper made contact with his legs but the ball still ended up in the net. Those saves are bread and butter for Iker Casillas and it would be no surprise to see the skipper back in the team before too long.

That measure may be too late to affect La Liga, however, as it's now Atletico in pole position and Barca (with a significantly easier set of fixtures ahead) just behind them with eight games left.

"We can still win the league," Ancelotti said on Wednesday. "We are three points behind Atletico and two behind Barca - anything is possible."

Poor results against the top two and back-to-back defeats in the last four days have left Madrid licking their wounds, however, and seen their advantage go up in smoke. So while it's not over yet, Real now need not one but two teams to slip up over the final fixtures. It's a lot to ask.

Tiger Woods unsure if back injury will rule him out of Masters

Tiger Woods was in obvious pain at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Doral and is in a race against time to get fit for the Masters. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP

Tiger Woods is still no closer to knowing whether he will be able to play inthe Masters as he struggles with back pain.

The world No1 withdrew from last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida because of his aching back and remains unsure if he will be fit for this year's first major, starting on 10 April at Augusta National.

"For Augusta, it's actually a little too soon to be honest with you," he told reporters. "That's kind of the frustrating thing about this. I've had a couple weeks off getting treatment, just working on trying to get ready for Augusta. As of right now, it's still too soon. As I said, it's very frustrating."

Woods has been plagued by back problems since last year but his condition worsened over the past month. The 38-year-old failed to finish the Honda Classic at Palm Beach Gardens, quitting after 13 holes in his final round.

He tweaked his back again on the last day at the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami a week later, tumbling out of contention with a final-round 78 to finish tied for 25th.

He then pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, a tournament he has won eight times, including 2012 and 2013, in the hope that he could play at the Masters but is no closer to knowing whether he will make it to the first tee.

Although Woods has missed two Opens, one US Open and one PGA Championship since 2008, he has never missed the Masters since he made his debut at Augusta National as an amateur in 1995.

He has won the tournament four times, in 1997, 2001, 2002 and 2005 but has not won any major since 2008.

Adam Scott's lead cut to three strokes at Arnold Palmer Invitational

Adam Scott will go into the Masters as the world No1 if he wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Photograph: Michael Cohen/Getty Images

Adam Scott opened the door to his rivals as the Australian's lead was whittled to three strokes after the third round at the $6.2m Arnold Palmer Invitational in Florida on Saturday.

Scott began the day with a seven-shot advantage. He drove the ball superbly again, but also hit a few loose iron shots and a couple of poor putts on his way to a one-under-par 71 in ideal conditions at Bay Hill in Orlando.

"They don't hand you PGA Tour events when you've got a lead after 36 holes. You've got to work for that," he told the Golf Channel after posting a 15-under 201 total with one round left.

The American Keegan Bradley finished with birdies at the final three holes to shoot a 66 and jump into second place on 12 under. Four other players are within five strokes and realistically in the hunt.

Scott will defend his Masters title in April as the new world No1 if he wins on Sunday, and he remained upbeat about his chances after sinking a seven-foot putt to save par at the par-four 18th, a hole he bogeyed on the first two days.

"That's huge going into tomorrow," he said. "I missed two putts of shorter length for par on the back nine today and to miss another one would have opened the door a little bit too much for my liking.

"I got off to a tough start [with two bogeys in the first five holes] and just fought my way back all day. No doubt everyone made a move today and I was battling but I'm in good shape for tomorrow."

Scott, who has been under the weather all week, said he was starting to feel a little better physically. "I'm feeling OK to play. I've got a really sore throat but that doesn't hit the golf ball."

Bradley, the 2011 USPGA champion, had no illusions that it would be easy to catch Scott on Sunday. "I'm going to have to shoot a really low score, because Adam's one of the best players in the world, but that's what I live for," he said after matching the day's best score. "I've been hitting the ball nicely all week but the last two days the putter has gotten really hot, which is a good sign."

Chesson Hadley got closest to Scott, charging within one stroke after he birdied the sixth hole, but the American bogeyed the next and ended the day five strokes behind after a 69.

Francesco Molinari is also five back after almost making what would have been a miraculous eagle at the par-four 15th, where the Italian's 180-yard approach shot from the thick rough clattered against the pin but did not drop, leaving him to settle for a tap-in birdie

Adam Scott blows world No1 chance as Matt Every seals first Tour title

Matt Every secured his first PGA Tour title by coming out on top in a dramatic climax to the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Photograph: Willie J Allen Jr/AP

Adam Scott blew his chance to defend the US Masters as world No1 as Matt Every clinched his first PGA Tour title in a dramatic climax to the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Scott was seven shots clear of the field after 36 holes at Bay Hill and took a three-shot lead into the final round – but that advantage was wiped out by the time he reached the turn. The world No2 collapsed to a closing 76 to finish 11 under par – he was 10 under after a course record-equalling 62 on Thursday – two shots behind Every, who shot a final round of 70.

Scott's playing partner, Keegan Bradley, had looked out of contention after dropping three shots in the first three holes and carding further bogeys on the 10th and 11th but he birdied the 12th, 16th and 17th and narrowly missed from 30ft for another on the last to force a play-off.

A tearful Every, who grew up nearby and used to attend the tournament as a spectator, said: "It's really cool. I have had a lot of looks [at wins] and I kept telling myself maybe it's going to come somewhere special. I still can't believe I won. It's hard, it's tough, man. You just never know if it's going to happen. You get there [in contention] so many times and it's nice to get it done."

Scott had bogeyed the 1st after twice finding sand and a hooked drive into the water on the 3rd cost him another bogey.

The 33-year-old steadied the ship with a chip to four feet to set up a birdie on the par-five 4th but then bogeyed the 7th after his tee shot plugged in a greenside bunker.

Scott had held the outright lead since the early stages of his opening round on Thursday but that was no longer the case when Every recovered from a bogey on the 8th with birdies at the 9th, 10th and 12th to take the lead.

Another birdie on the 13th moved Every two ahead and the 30-year-old soon found himself three clear of the pack when Scott bogeyed the 14th. Scott's tee shot came up well short of the green but he elected to putt through the fringe, running his birdie attempt seven feet past the hole and missing the return.

A massive swing looked on the cards on the 16th when Every pushed his tee shot into the trees and failed to find the fairway with his escape shot, eventually making a bogey six. In the group behind Scott found the green in two with a towering iron shot as Every looked on, only to three-putt for par and remain two behind.

Every then found a greenside bunker on the 17th but saved par after his recovery shot slammed into the pin and somehow stayed out. Scott's challenge ended when he failed to save par from the same bunker but Bradley fired a superb approach to 10ft and holed for birdie.

A bogey from Every on the 18th then left the former US PGA champion Bradley needing a birdie there for the second day running to force extra holes but his long-range attempt slid just past the hole.

Malaysian Grand Prix: F1 circus arrives in shadow of missing flight MH370

Lewis Hamilton's car will read 'Come Home MH370' on its side panel in Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix. Photograph: Hon Keong Soo/Demotix/Corbis

The Formula One circus arrived in Kuala Lumpur for Sunday's Malaysian Grand Prix to find a nation in sombre mood following the disappearance of flight MH370. The atmosphere at the normally humid and febrile Sepang circuit this weekend will be subdued.

As drivers, mechanics and engineers prepared for the second race of the season, they were met with the news that a concert to mark the Formula One weekend, which was to feature the US singer Christina Aguilera, had been cancelled as "a sign of respect to the families and next of kin of the crew and passengers of flight MH370", according to Petronas, the state oil company which sponsors both the annual show and the Mercedes Formula One team.

"It is truly a tragedy and we are deeply saddened about the crew and the passengers," said a statement by the company on the concert's Facebook page. The concert was due to be held at the Kuala Lumper Twin Towers and Saturday. The Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg said on Twitter that "all my prayers go to friends & families of the passengers on MH370".

The cars driven by Rosberg and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton will carry "Come Home MH370" messages on their side panels.

The Laureus World Sports Academy, which is also in town, scaled down its celebration of last year's leading sports personalities and the chairman, Ed Moses, announced that a football friendly between past greats would be dedicated to those hit by the disaster.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Shah, the sultan of Pahang – the third largest state in Malaysia – said that flags should be flown at half-mast for three days as a mark of respect.

The first 10 pages of 's Star newspaper were devoted to the tragedy, with more space for comment and letters deeper inside the issue. Earlier in the week the paper had printed a wrap, with "RIP" on the front and the back carrying the comment: "No farewell words were spoken, no time to say goodbye, you were gone before we knew it, and only God knows why." The New Straits Times featured a Boeing 777 on its front page, with the headline "Goodnight, MH370".

But in Formula One, a sport which has never suffered unduly because of the thinness of its skin, the show will go on. The circuit's chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said: "The atmosphere is subdued and I understand everyone is talking about it [the flight] everywhere and asking why we are hosting a Formula One race under the circumstances, but it is something that was decided a long time ago. The teams have arrived and the race will go on, including the post-race concert ... but we must be sensitive and not go overboard."

In the bustling shopping area around KL Sentral train station, feelings about the race were mixed. Shirah Hussin, a wellness coach, said: "Everyone is very sad because they have still not found the bodies, or the proof of what really happened. We are still in a sad mood so the race should be called off on Sunday. It is not the right time for a celebration."

Robbie Chan, a financial adviser, said: "The impact here has been very big. The reputation of the whole country is at stake. The plane and the crew was from Malaysia, from our government. They are all very concerned about this. We talk about it all day every day. We want the truth, an explanation. But I don't object to the Formula One going ahead. It is people's hobby."

Stockbroker KW Chan said: "Different people are expressing their grief in different ways. Some people put on a smiling face, some put on a sour face, others keep quiet. But generally everybody feels sad about this great loss.

"But it is not just a Malaysian tragedy. The whole world feels the same. I don't follow Formula One. I don't think there should be a big celebration but I have no problem with the race going ahead. A lot of work has gone into the weekend and a lot of people have come here to see the race."

Perhaps the tragedy will put into perspective the complaints from fansabout the reduced noise from the new 1.6-litre V6 turbo engines. This might be the time for a little decorum, even in the brash and rowdy world of Formula One.