Eto’o, Thuram and Belletti have be given the clear from FC Barcelona´s medical staff. and therefore are the two new names on the squad list for the game against Mallorca. All 3 Barca players have recovered from their injuries. Centre Forward Eto’o missed the game against Zaragoza due to tendonitis. Belletti picked up a know in the week before and therefore was rested against Zaragoza. Thuram, who played at La Romareda, has also fully recovered from his minor injuries he picked up at the beginning of the week. thuram will be in the squad for Sunday’s match against Mallorca, after he passed the final checks.

Oleguer and Ezquerro are out due to technical reasons. Ronaldinho and Motta will also miss the Sunday clash. Both were working out individually at La Masia. Ronaldinho following a specific training plan that should bring him back to full fitness after being treated with antibiotics due to a tonsillitis. Motta is working on a recovery programe for his Achilles problem.

FC Barcelona full back and European Cup hero Juliano Belletti has signed a one-year extension to his current deal that will keep him at Barca until 30th June 2009. His release clause remains at € 60 mill. As a result of the agreement, Belletti will be on better terms and earnings will increase from next season.

Belletti, who was born on 20th June 1976, joined Barca for the 2004-05 season. He made his debut in the opening game of the season against Racing Santander on 29th August 2004.

Belletti will be remembered by all Barca fans as the man who scored the second and decisive goal in the final of the Champions League against Arsenal in Paris on 17th May 2006. It was his first goal in a Barca shirt and his winning 2-1 goal won FC Barcelona the second European Cup in it´s history.

In his first year for Barca, Belletti played 31 matches in La Liga and 8 matches in the UEFA Champions League. In the 2005-06 season, Belletti played 27 La Liga matches. This season 2006-07, Belletti has only played 10 La Liga matches, 2 UEFA Champions Leage and 2 Copa Del Rey matches.

Belletti held a press conference at Camp Nou on Thursday after putting pen to paper and expressed his delight:

I extended my contract with the greatest club in the world. I'm very happy here, as is my family. There are many players who want to come to Barca. I would be delighted to stay here for many years more but I'm aware that depends on my performances for the club. I'm not playing as often as I'd like, but that's the manager´s decision. The interests of the team are above anything else. My obligation is to demonstate every day to the boss during training that I'm fit and that he can count on me when needed.

FC Barcelona´s Brazilian full back Juliano Belletti has a second degree sprain of his left ankle and will be out of action for 10 to 15 days.
Belletti will miss at least 3 matches, La Liga´s games against Athletic Bilbao and FC Sevilla, plus the Copa del Rey second leg at Real Zaragoza. If everything goes to the plan of Barca´s medical services, the european Cup hero will be back in time to take part in the important return leg against Liverpool at Anfield Road on the 6th of March.

Belletti finished the game limping over the fields in the final 10 minutes after an unfortunate incident, when he was involved in a tackle with former Barca player Zenden at the sideline.

After Lillian Thuram got the medical all-clear on Monday this week, Barca coach Frank Rijkaard was able to choose from all 22 of his players for the game against Liverpool for a very long time, but this injury means that Belletti will be the only player that will not be available for selection for the weekend encounter with Athletic Club so far.

FC Barcelona´s European Cup hero Juliano Belletti, who scored the winning goal against Arsenal in last year´s final in Paris, has been offered an extension on his current contract until 2009. The club and the player agreed on improved terms and the player is ready to put pen to paper by the end of this week, once the contracts have been drawn up.

It becomes more and more likely that FC Barcelona will let Brazilian right full back Juliano Belletti move to AC Milan during the January transfer window for an estimated € 5 mill fee. Rumours are mounting and it seems only matter of days when the transfer should be confirmed.

Belletti has seen little action this season following the arrival of Italian world champion Gianluca Zambrotta and several injuries. Belletti´s contract with FC Barcelona expires in 2008 but reports from sources in Barcelona suggest that his brother, Sandro Belletti, has brokered a new 4-year deal with the Rossoneri.
Thanks to his Champions League winning goal against Arsenal last May that brought the European Cup to Barcelona again for the second time, he will always have a special place in the heart of the fans and the club will not stand in the way for his last lucrative contract in his career.

FC Barcelona are not short for right full back options. Zambrotta, Oleguer, Puyol and Thuram are all capable of playing in this position.

AC Milan have been looking for a replacement for veteran right back Cafu and seem to have found the player in Belletti.