Sandro Rosell
Encyclopedia
Alexandre Rosell i Feliu (əɫəkˈsandɾə ruˈseʎ i fəˈɫiw; born March 6, 1964 in Barcelona
, Spain
), commonly known as Sandro Rosell, is the current president of FC Barcelona
. With an MBA degree from ESADE
, Rosell is known for being the running mate and senior adviser of Joan Laporta
during the presidential elections at FC Barcelona in 2003. Moreover, he is renowned for bringing Ronaldinho
to the Camp Nou
in the same year.
joined forces in 2003 to support the latter's bid to become President of FC Barcelona. After winning by a huge majority, Rosell attempted to make the election pledge of bringing David Beckham
to the club a reality. At the time, Rosell claimed he was "80% confident" that the move would take place. However Beckham chose to go to Barça
's fierce rivals Real Madrid
.
As a result of Beckham's snub, the Barça board opted to try and sign Brazil
star Ronaldinho
from PSG
. The Catalan
club were in direct competition for the Brazilian with Manchester United who wanted him as a replacement for the England
international. At a time of financial uncertainty, the capture of Ronaldinho was crucial for Barça
.
It is widely believed that Ronaldinho signed for Barça instead of the Premier League Champions because of his friendship with Rosell, a former Nike
executive in Brazil.
Rosell resigned as vice-president of sports in June 2005, despite Barça
winning the title that year, accusing Laporta of failing to carry its original plan for the club.
were on the verge of making it to the Champions League
final, which they eventually won. It was seen as a direct attack on club president Joan Laporta
after it promised to reveal the problems that had caused Rosell to resign.
When the opportunity for elections at FC Barcelona
arose in 2006, due to a successful challenge by club members who claimed Joan Laporta had completed a four year term, Rosell did not put his name forward to challenge his former friend. When asked if he would put his name forward in future elections, Rosell replied that he would "never say never".
After his resignation, Sandro Rosell was a critic of Joan Laporta
, criticizing his handling of problems at Barça and claiming that in "all areas of the club" there has been " absolute anarchy". However, he did support Laporta's choice of manager in Pep Guardiola saying that it was "how it should be" and also supported Laporta's decision to sign an agreement with UNICEF.
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
), commonly known as Sandro Rosell, is the current president of FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
. With an MBA degree from ESADE
ESADE
The Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas is a college associated with the Ramon Llull University located in Barcelona, Spain. ESADE is composed of three departments; the ESADE Business School, the ESADE Executive Language Center and the ESADE Law School...
, Rosell is known for being the running mate and senior adviser of Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
during the presidential elections at FC Barcelona in 2003. Moreover, he is renowned for bringing Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
to the Camp Nou
Camp Nou
Camp Nou , sometimes called "the Nou Camp" in English, is a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium, located in the west of the city, has been the home of FC Barcelona since its construction in 1957....
in the same year.
FC Barcelona elections in 2003
Rosell and Joan LaportaJoan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
joined forces in 2003 to support the latter's bid to become President of FC Barcelona. After winning by a huge majority, Rosell attempted to make the election pledge of bringing David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
to the club a reality. At the time, Rosell claimed he was "80% confident" that the move would take place. However Beckham chose to go to Barça
Barca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...
's fierce rivals Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
.
As a result of Beckham's snub, the Barça board opted to try and sign Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
star Ronaldinho
Ronaldinho
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira , commonly known as Ronaldinho or Ronaldinho Gaúcho, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Flamengo and the Brazilian national team as an attacking midfielder or forward. He is a two-time winner of the FIFA World Player of the Year, awarded to the best player over the year...
from PSG
PSG
PSG may refer to:Firearms:* Prickskyttegevär, Swedish for sniper rifle, see PSG-90* Präzisions-Scharfschützen-Gewehr, a German sniper rifle, see PSG-1Places:* Petersburg James A...
. The Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
club were in direct competition for the Brazilian with Manchester United who wanted him as a replacement for the England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
international. At a time of financial uncertainty, the capture of Ronaldinho was crucial for Barça
Barca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...
.
It is widely believed that Ronaldinho signed for Barça instead of the Premier League Champions because of his friendship with Rosell, a former Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
executive in Brazil.
Rosell resigned as vice-president of sports in June 2005, despite Barça
Barca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...
winning the title that year, accusing Laporta of failing to carry its original plan for the club.
Following his resignation from Barcelona Board of Directors in 2005
In 2006, Rosell released a book Benvingut al món real (Welcome to the real world), just as BarçaBarca
Barce was an ancient Greek colony and later Roman, Byzantine, city in North Africa. It occupied the coastal area of what is modern day Libya...
were on the verge of making it to the Champions League
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final, which they eventually won. It was seen as a direct attack on club president Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
after it promised to reveal the problems that had caused Rosell to resign.
When the opportunity for elections at FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
arose in 2006, due to a successful challenge by club members who claimed Joan Laporta had completed a four year term, Rosell did not put his name forward to challenge his former friend. When asked if he would put his name forward in future elections, Rosell replied that he would "never say never".
After his resignation, Sandro Rosell was a critic of Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta
Joan Laporta i Estruch is a Spanish politician and former president of Futbol Club Barcelona between 2003 and 2010.Laporta is a lawyer with his own firm, Laporta & Arbós, which has important firms as clients. Laporta was married to Constanza Echevarría and has three sons, Pol, Guillem and Jan...
, criticizing his handling of problems at Barça and claiming that in "all areas of the club" there has been " absolute anarchy". However, he did support Laporta's choice of manager in Pep Guardiola saying that it was "how it should be" and also supported Laporta's decision to sign an agreement with UNICEF.
2010 Elections
Rosell announced on June 27, 2008 at a press conference that he intended to campaign for the presidency of FC Barcelona in 2010 after the end of the contract of Joan Laporta. At the time, Laporta was about to face a no-confidence motion brought about by Oriol Giralt which Rosell supported. Laporta himself accused Rosell of being behind the motion. When asked why he would be voting against Laporta, Rosell said that it was because the current management "is not independent or transparent or democratic". On June 13 Rosell was elected President of FC Barcelona with more than 60% of the vote of Barça's club members. He replaced outgoing President Joan Laporta on July 1, 2010.Trophies won by club during presidency
- La LigaLa LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
(1):- 2010-11
- Supercopa de EspañaSupercopa de EspañaThe Supercopa de España is a Spanish football championship contested by the winners of La Liga and the Copa del Rey...
(2):- 20102010 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2010 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up played on 14 August and 21 August 2010. It was contested by Sevilla, the 2009–10 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2009–10 Primera División winners....
, 20112011 Supercopa de EspañaThe 2011 Supercopa de España was a two-legged Spanish football match-up that was played on 14 and 17 August 2011. It was contested by Real Madrid, the 2010–11 Copa del Rey winners, and Barcelona, the 2010–11 La Liga winners....
- 2010
- UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
(1):- 2010-11
- UEFA Super Cup: (1)
- 20112011 UEFA Super Cup-External links:*, UEFA.com...
- 2011