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Lionel Messi crowned his triumph in winning the Ballon d'Or this week by hitting a stunning hat-trick as FC Barcelona took a huge stride towards a place in the Copa del Rey semi finals with victory over Real Betis.

The tower is located beside the sea in the first number of Diagonal Avenue in the Forum area. It will host the company’s I+D centre and will bring together all the Telefonica offices from around the city.

Barça receives Betis in the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey (22.00 pm) two days after being the main attraction at the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Zurich. Leo Messi will be sharing the trophy with fans before kick off.

Leo Messi is the winner of the 2010 FIFA Ballon D’Or after taking the trophy for the second year on the run. Messi won 22,65% of the votes, ahead of teammates Andrés Iniesta (17,36%) and Xavi Hernández (16,48%).

FC Barcelona have won at Riazor with goals from Villa, Messi, Iniesta and Pedro, three in the second half. That’s their ninth away win and takes them up to 49 points.

The annual January sales have commenced in Catalonia with discounts of up to half price. Traders hope to sell between 5 and 10% to make up for December's dramatic decline in consumption.

Barça will start 2011 without Messi, Puyol or Piqué against Levante, three of the most regular members of the first team.

FC Barcelona have had an incredible year as they have won no less than 44 of their 58 official matches in 2010 while losing just five and drawing nine. That run has led to win the Spanish league title and the Spanish Super Cup.

FC Barcelona and Athletic Club have drawn 0-0 at the Camp Nou in a game marked by the clearly different styles of the two sides. The quarter finalists will be decided at San Mamés in two weeks’ time.

Barça struck five again tonight as they brushed aside Espanyol 1-5 at the Cornella-El Prat Stadium with Pedro (2), Xavi and Villa (2) getting the goals for the La Liga leaders.

A year ago, the Barcelona City Council made the decision to convert pet kiosks on Les Rambles into souvenir kiosks. Now, they have changed their minds, claiming that their decision led to overcrowding and lack of public space.

The main Catalan airport received 15,1% more passengers in November, in comparison with last year. However, Girona and Reus airports are losing passengers.

FC Barcelona will meet Arsenal in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League with the first leg taking place at the Emirates on February 16 and the return game in Camp Nou on March 8.

The Barcelona Centre of Contemporary Culture will see its budget decrease by 4.5% this year. Despite this, the centre has planned several exhibitions for 2011, including several photography exhibitions and conferences on themes such as immigration and the crisis.

Fira de Barcelona has just approved a new strategic plan for the next four years. The plan foresees increasing the turnover rate by around 50% and includes taking the Fira de Barcelona brand name to countries around the world.