Santos forward and Brazilian international Robinho (26) has claimed he rejected the chance to move to European Champions Barcelona in order to return to Santos. The Brazilian has been in impressive form since rejoining O Peixe on a six-month loan deal from Manchester City in January.

Robinho, who spent the first three seasons of his career at Santos, scored a brace on his home debut in midweek to take his tally to three goals in as many games.

However, the former Real Madrid forward has revealed he could have moved back to Spain instead.

“I had an offer from Barcelona,” he said. “But they wanted to bring me in on a permanent transfer and Manchester City didn’t want to sell me.

“Then they wanted me on a loan deal, but it wouldn’t have been good to take my whole family, look for a house and be there only six months. It’s different in Santos, since here I have a house and all the rest.”

Robinho joined City for a British record £32.5m in the summer of 2008 and made an instant impact, finishing as the club’s leading scorer in his first season.

But this term has been a different story as, first under former manager Mark Hughes and then his successor Roberto Mancini, Robinho spent most of his time on the bench.

The match against Racing was full of milestones for the European Champions FC Barcelona.

It was Guardiola’s 100th match in charge – of which Barca have won 71, drawn 19 and lost just 10.

It was also Andres Iniesta’s (25) 300th competitive game for the club. The Spain midfielder marked the occasion with a goal, his first of the season.

Henry’s strike was his first of 2010, while Marquez got off the mark for the current campaign.

Latest youth product Thiago Alcantara (18) bagged his first-ever goal for the first team.

Meanwhile, Victor Valdes is now third in the all-time list of league appearances for goalkeepers in Barca colours, with 248, and if he stays at the club for several more seasons, Valdes is likely to overtake both Andoni Zubizarreta (301 matches) and Antoni Ramallets (288).

Barca Atletic midfielder and Spanish youth international Thiago Alcantara (18), lived one of the happiest days of his life as he got his first goal for the club where he came through the ranks.

Thiago told Madrid based sports daily AS after the match that he wanted to thank compatriot Leo Messi for his generosity, “I’d like to thank the team and Messi for the pass. It’s a dream come true for me”.

On the treatment of homegrown players when they join the first team, the starlet said, “The coach is always reassuring and treats everyone the same.”

Finally Thiago says he does not want to be known as the son of Mazinho but rather by his own name. “My father had his name and I want to create mine,” he concluded.

During the post match press conference Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said he was happy to see Thierry Henry return to the side with a goal during his sides 4-0 win at home to Racing Santander, but believes the Frenchman has much more to offer the Catalan side.

Henry has been frozen out in recent weeks but was included from the start in Barca’s three-pronged attack and marked his comeback with a goal, as his first-half free-kick found its way through a suspect Racing wall on its way to the back of the net.It was only his third of the season in what has been a disappointing campaign for the former Arsenal striker and Guardiola hopes it will motivate the player to score many more.

“Let’s hope it inspires him to score more and play even better,” he said. “The team needs him much more now and I want more from him.”

The Barca boss was happy with his side’s performance but admitted they had won without having to work too hard.

“We won comfortably, without really shining,” he said.

“We did some things really well, but to compete at the highest level you have to give more and we need to demand more from ourselves.

“Without playing that well, we got a very favourable result – we defended really well, but we lacked rhythm when we had the ball,” he said.

Guardiola has a number of injury concerns ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League match at VfB Stuttgart.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic was left out at the last minute and the Sweden striker must now be a doubt, while Guardiola withdrew captain Carles Puyol late on, but is confident the defender will be fit for the trip to Germany.

“Ibrahimovic’s ankle has been bothering him all week and today it was (swollen up) like a potato,” he said. “Puyol had blurred vision, but he’ll be fine,” he added.

Guardiola also praised the contribution of several of his players like Busquets, who “has played spectacularly well”, in a match that ended with nine homegrown players on the pitch. Among them was young starlet Thiago Alcantara, who scored his first ever goal with the first team, but Pep claims he did not like his way of celebration with a special dedication to Jonathan: “These things cannot be done at his age. When he is 30 years, yes, not now. He must embrace his teammates and continue with his work, helping the team.”

“Thiago is bold, he will have to keep his feet on the floor though. But he is one wonderful player, very good at one on one’s, sometimes he does things that make you say ‘ufff!’, he has something special. Jonathan is very aggressive and neat, can play very well. They should continue improving with the reserves under Luis Enrique for now and soon they will be helping the first team, I have a lot of confidence in both of them.” Pep concluded.

Racing Santander winger and former FC Barcelona player Luis Garcia, 31, has spoken of his regret at not making more of an impact during his time at the Camp Nou.  “I would have liked to have had more years at Barca, but the train passed me by, and I had to take a tough decision. I wanted more minutes.”

The Catalan winger, who moved to Liverpool at the start of the 2004/2005 season, went on to explain how he had not only enjoyed his time in the first-team but also playing for Barca B, where he won promotion with the youth team, playing with current Barca favourites Xavi, Víctor Valdés and Carles Puyol, who he also played with during his single season in the first-team. “I knew them from Barca B, when we won promotion to segunda A at the Bernabeu. That’s one of my best memories, as everything was really in favour of Madrid that day.”

Of his one and only season with the first-team Garcia said, “it was great. We put in an extraordinary second half to the season and we finished second after a really bad start”.

Discussing this seasons chase for the League title Garcia seemed unable to seperate the top two, “The league will go to the wire. It’ll be close till the last four or five games. The difference between Madrid and Barca now isn’t important. I think the way they both finish the campaign will decide the title”.

FC Barcelona midfielder and Spanish International Andrés Iniesta (25) is on the verge of playing his 300th match for the club. Recently, he sat down with the Catalan sports paper Sport to review his progress.

On October 29, 2002, a great day arrived for one of the most highly rated jewels that had been created by the La Masia. Louis Van Gaal gave him the option in Brujas, and since then he has counted 299 official matches at only 25 years of age.  A lot is expected of him, but Andrés Iniesta is capable of surpassing any expectation.

About his debut game, the player from La Mancha remembers that is was “a very important day.  I had been waiting for it for a long time, and finally it was a reality. Van Gaal said to me to go out, enjoy it, and be myself.  We won 0-1 with a goal from Román (Riquelme).”

Three and a half years later, he celebrated his 100th official match on February 1, 2006.  On this occaision, he could not enjoy it as much as his debut. The Barça of Rijkaard suffered calamitous officiating in the elimination of the Copa del Rey quarterfinals against Zaragosa. The team should have been able to overcome the first-leg deficit of 4-2, but only won 2-1 because Rodríguez Santiago sent off Ronaldinho. Iniesta has this game memorized because “it was a difficult moment because we were eliminated.  The match was very hot and, obviously, very different from my debut.”

He did not have to wait as long for his 200th match.  On December 15, 2007, he achieved another historical number in a league match in Mestalla. “It was another good game.  We had won in the Champions League (against Stuttgart) and we obtained an important victory by wining 0-3.  It was a shame that we lost the next game against Madrid.”  Andrés was already an irreplaceable player by then.  Against the Blancos he had to adapt to playing on the right wing, since this was the encounter in which Ronaldinho featured.  However, the Brazilian could not replace Messi, who had been injured in Mestalla, and a great game by Iniesta was not sufficient to keep Real Madrid from taking the division lead by six points and finally conquering the league.

About these three important matches, Iniesta commented in good humor, “In my debut, I see myself very different from the others.  Now I have less hair but I am physically stronger, it’s logical and normal that things change.”

His role in the team in this Saturday’s match will be more important than ever because of the absence of Xavi Hernandez. Andrés will have to act as the leader; although, through his modesty, he prefers to show it on the field.  “When a player like Xavi is missing, the team notices it because he gives us many things.  We intend to overcome that (his absence) in the best way possible.”  Iniesta explained, “I do my role and whatever I need to. I will give it all, although I have never believed much in leaders. Each one should be one (a leader) in his position.  If this happens, the team will be stronger.”

The player from Fuentealbilla is one of the heavy weights in the locker room, despite clarifying that, “more than being already a veteran of the team, what I love is arriving at this number of 300 matches and being able to add up many more.”

Iniesta wants to celebrate this special encounter with a victory and much more, after the defeat in the Calderón.  “You want to win after a defeat and recover that good sensation. The team is fine, and that is what is important,” he noted.

FC Barcelona forward and Sweden international Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 28, gave an interview to BBC’s Football Focus programme. During the interview the forward looked relaxed and calm, smiling and laughing throughout. Some excerpts:

You’re the second most expensive signing in world football, was it a dream move for you when it came about?

Of course to come to Barcelona is a big thing and to make a transfer possible from two big clubs it’s not easy, like you said there was a lot of money involved and i’m happy that it went good and was sorted out in the end, now i’m here in Barcelona so i’m very happy.

When you arrived you said you weren’t here to try and replace Eto’o, you were a player in your own right did you have a few nerves about replacing a player who has such a reputation here?

Eto’o has a big name at Barcelona, what he did I dont think many players have done it, so he will remain and will always be in the history books of Barcelona, but where ever a player comes they try to compare players with players but I dont think that works because i mean everybody’s different to everybody, so I come here to play the way I know how to play and how Barcelona wants me to play so I didnt come here to replace Eto’o I have different skills a different way of playing and Eto’o is a fantastic striker who scores a lot of goals, scores very important goals, is very fast and I mean he’s a total different player compared to me.

And of course Eto’o had to go over and fill the shoes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic over there and you were a big player yourself so how do you think he’s done?

I think he has done a good job, in Italy they accept you just by scoring goals and he has been scoring goals, important goals and playing good I haven’t seen Inter that much but what I have seen he looks good. It’s the first year and it’s all about adapting, knowing the league obviously and the way the game is played in italy i mean its the same for me here i have to learn the way that Barca plays, and the opposition, and the players around me. I think it takes more or less one year to adapt and then after that you start to play like one hundred per-cent of your quality

It’s interesting you mention that because here at Barca you started fantastically scoring almost a goal a game and then all of a sudden 8 games without a goal so you’ve gone through a goal drought so what’s happened there?

In the beginning I scored goals and I was not happy with the way I was playing, so you train hard, work hard and in the end it will come by itself but I play with players who are so fantastic and make it better and make it easier for you. Since the new year I havent been so lucky in front of goal, not scoring but I don’t see that as a problem because I know the goals will always come. You work hard, play good and the goals will come but for me it is important to play good and when i’m playing good I know the goals will come and thats the way I like to play, not only scoring goals but not playing bad, thats not my game.

Barcelona is very much built around Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, and Inter Milan was based around Ibrahimovic, has it been difficult to make that adaptation?

You have to adapt to the players you play with. It is a big difference compared to Italy and Inter, so when i came here i mean you’re playing with players who if you’re having a bad day the other teammate can resolve the problem, it makes you win and that’s the way it is. Just to train with them everyday and get to know them and enjoy it.

Do you feel you’re a better player today than you were?

I feel I am developing and I can do much more than I am doing but as I have made quite a few, well not many, but a few transfers and so like I say it takes more or less a year to come into a team one hundred per-cent and then you know the system, the philosophy, the way the trainer wants you to play, the tactical things and I think this year I am adapting and working hard and i’m willing to sacrifice everything I have and it goes like it goes so hopefully it will go good.

One player who is having a difficult time at the moment is Thierry Henry, after the handball etc, and he hasn’t played in the last three games for Barcelona so how do you find his mood?

I speak to him nearly everyday, he has a lot of experience and his career has been amazing, he’s had a fantastic career and he knows what he needs to do. There’s no one who needs to go and talk to him I mean were talking about Thierry Henry, you don’t have a lot of Thierry Henry’s in the world. I am happy to be here to play with him get to know him, and to work, and if you play or not is up to the coach to decide. He’s a professional so if he doesn’t play he doesnt play, there’s nothing more you can do about it. Just train hard, and of course everybody wants to play, that’s the way it is. For the handball he did and all the things that were written about him I would probably do the same.

Did he talk about that (the handball), did he say how he was feeling?

No, I mean we are football players, everybody’s professional, we dont talk about that, what happens happens. It can happen to msyelf what happened to him. Also, i mean, if i was in that situation I would probably do the same. I would do everything for my team, for my country to go through to a World Cup, European Cup, or just playing a serious game, I do everything to win. Titi did somehting impulsive and it just happened and they won the game and he will play at the World Cup now and I will not play at the World Cup so i’m very happy for him.

Lets talk about the Champions League, Barcelona, who are your biggest rivals? Who are you most worried about?

You have many top teams out there but if we play like we know how to play, the Champions League is always about the small details; you have the luck, you dont have the luck, you have the moment, you don’t have the moment. Next week is our game against Stuttgart and it will not be an easy game, and after seeing these 4 games (last weeks first-leg ties) everything can happen, you don’t know who will go through, you don’t know what will happen in the second game so it’s all about being focused. We take it game by game, the first game in Stuttgart and play ninety minutes to do a good job and to bring a good result to Barcelona and bring the game home. I think everyone is a threat and absolutely we respect them and dont underestimate any team in the Champions League.

If Roberto Mancini called you up at the end of the season and said “Hey Ibra, come on over” would you be tempted?

I dont know. I have never thought about England I didn’t have any one hundred per-cent offers from England so it was never my idea. You go with the offers that are serious and I had a serious offer from Barcelona and right now at this moment there is nobody better than Barcelona. So i mean i’m twenty-eight years old and I have a five year contract with Barcelona and i’m very happy here and enjoying trying to get even better. If one day I will ever end up in England, i dont know?

    Андрес Иниеста забил свой первый гол в сезоне в матче с “Расингом”. Этот гол стал прекрасным подарком для полузащитника, для которого этот матч стал 300-м, проведенным за каталонский клуб.

  БЫСТРЫЙ ГОЛ

    8-ка “Барсы” открыл счет в матче уже на 7-й минуте. После великолепнейшего длинного паса Маркеса Анри поборолся в штрафной, выключил из игры сразу двоих защитников, один из которых неудачно скинул мяч прямо на набегавшего Иньесту и тот своего шанса не упустил.

    ПОСТИ 10 МЕСЯЦЕВ СПУСТЯ

    Игрок забил этот гол левой ногой, что для него редкость. Андрес Иниеста отметился в первый раз после памятного для всех поклонников “Барсы” ответного матча с “Челси” на “Стэмфорд Бридж”. Напомним, что гол полузащитника тогда вывел “Барсу” в финал Лиги Чемпионов, где был повержен “Манчестер” (2-0).

  ТАЛАНТ

    В отсутствие Чави его функции взял на себя Иниеста и стал настоящим мотором своей команды. Он прекрасно взаимодействовал с Бускетсом и Туре, который только восстановился от травмы и сразу попал в основной состав.

Manchester City are targeting £24million rated Barcelona midfielder Yaya Toure, despite the Catalan-based club looking to use the player as a pawn to land Cesc Fabregas.

After failing to sign McDonald Mariga and Fernando Gago in the January transfer window, City are keen to land Toure.

However, Barcelona's long-standing desire to re-sign Cesc Fabregas could thwart Roberto Mancini's plans to reunite the Toure brothers.

The Daily Mail reports Barcelona are considering a bid in excess of £50m for Fabregas, including Toure and Bojan Krkic.

Toure recently remarked that he was happy to remain in Barcelona for the long-term, however Barcelona may be willing to sell with the emergence of youth-product Sergi Busquets.

Barcelona see the situation as win-win, given they can use the cash from Toure's sale to City go towards their bid for Fabregas, or use the player in a part-exchange.

Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona striker Thierry Henry, who will be transfer listed by the Spanish champions in the summer, according to the Sunday Mirror.

The tabloid claims that the former Arsenal hot-shot is no longer part of Pep Guardiola’s plans at the Camp Nou, despite having a contract with the club until 2011.

Henry will therefore be ushered towards the exit door at the end of the season, the report continues, with several clubs expected to join the queue for his signature.

Manchester City have previously been linked with a move for the Frenchman, although Henry has never hidden his strong affinity to his former club Arsenal, and it remains to be seen whether he would be willing to play for another Premier League team.

However, should he move to Eastlands there will be no shortage of familiar faces, with former Gunners Emmanuel Adebayor, Kolo Toure, Sylvinho and Patrick Vieira all having joined the Citizens.

Pep Guardiola will be delighted he can call upon his experienced duo...

Barcelona duo Xavi Hernandez and Dani Alves have been named in the club’s Champions League squad for the trip to Germany to face Stuttgart in midweek.

Alves has been out for two weeks with a knee complaint, but has been passed fit enough to be included in Pep Guardiola’s squad, while Xavi limped out of last weekend’s defeat to Atletico Madrid and was expected to be out of action for another week, but like Alves will travel to Germany.

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been included in the 20-man squad for the first leg of the last sixteen match, despite being plagued by a persistent ankle problem that flared up during the Blaugrana’s comfortable 4-0 versus Racing Santander at the Camp Nou on Saturday evening.

Dimitro Chygrynskiy is the most notable absentee as he is ineligible to play in European competition due his appearance with Shakhtar Donetsk early in the season.

The full squad list is as follows:

Valdés, Pinto, Alves, Piqué, Márquez, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Ibrahimovic, Messi, Bojan, Henry, Busquets, Pedro, Milito, Maxwell, Toure, Jeffren, Bartra and Jonathan.