Ronaldinho.cc - Ronaldinho as the rest of the players from the national team are still on holiday.

Barça begins its preseason preparation without its World Cup stars

Ronaldinho as the rest of the players from the national team are still on holiday.

Something was missing from the first Barça training session on the past Monday. Only ten players of the first team sweated out the first day in La Masia. It is not that the World Cum players are still on holiday until the end of the month. Neither the defenders Puyol, Márquez and Van Bronckorst, nor the midfielders Van Bommel, Xavi, Iniesta and Deco, nor the forwards Messi and Ronaldinho appeared in the ground. They will al arrive in time for the team's August tour of Mexico and the United States.

Another expection was Eto'o. Although he did not play in the World Cup, the player from Cameroon was given extra week's holiday and will begin to train on the coming Monday 24th July. He will then join Victor Valdés, Albert Joquera, Belletti, Oleguer, Sylvinho, Motta, Edmilson, Santi Ezquerro, Eidur Gudjohnsen and Giuly to travel to the Danish town of Aarhus, where they will spend five days.

With the passing weeks and the end of the holidays, Barça will take the shape we are used to seeing. Frank Rijkaard has announced that he is prepared to return with an even stronger team than last season. Now it is just a question of effort and waiting for Camp Nou to open its doors to the show in 2006-2007.