Barcelona, Europe's number one football team, has joined the growing list of star names from the world of sport to experience the luxury facilities at La Manga Club - Europe's premier sports and leisure destination.

The Spanish champions, winners of the La Liga title four times in the last five years, are renowned for their style and elegance on the pitch and chose the award-winning five-star venue in Murcia as their base for this month's Copa del Rey tie against Cartagena.

Tata Martino's star-studded squad, which included the likes of World Cup winners Carlos Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique plus Brazilian ace Neymar, had the chance to sample La Manga Club's wide array of first-class amenities as the players prepared for the last-16 first leg clash.
And Barcelona's decision to stay at La Manga Club paid full dividends as the most successful club in Spanish football history secured a comfortable 4-1 victory to take into the second leg thanks to two goals from Pedro and one apiece from Fabregas and 18-year-old Jean Marie Dongou.

La Manga Club has made a name for itself catering for the needs of the world's sporting elite, and Barcelona joined the likes of Champions League rivals Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk in taking advantage of its five-star facilities this year.

More than 60 other professional sides from 20 different countries also headed to Spain's flagship resort for warm weather training camps in 2013 and the venue is set to be just as busy over the next 12 months.

As well as first-class football training facilities - including eight international standard grass pitches - the resort boasts a fully equipped gym and indoor swimming pool, ideal for recovery sessions; and a host of rooms and spaces to cater for tactical meetings, private team dining or any other requirements. 
La Manga Club has entertained some of the world's top sporting stars since 1972, including global football icon David Beckham and Wimbledon champion Andy Murray, and the resort - the Lawn Tennis Association's official overseas training base - will host Britain's elite tennis players later this month as they prepare for next month's Australian Open and the Davis Cup tie against United States.

In addition, La Manga Club offers the ideal place for budding sports stars of the future to hone their skills with a wide selection of academies for boys and girls of all ages including golf, tennis, cricket, rugby, football, while the resort is set to open the only Leadbetter Golf Academy on mainland Spain in January.

Set in 1,400 acres, La Manga Club boasts unrivalled facilities as a sports and leisure destination including three 18-hole championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and a 2,000sqm spa and fitness centre. It also offers the choice of a five-star hotel, four-star serviced apartments and townhouses and more than 20 bars and restaurants. 

For more information about professional sports breaks at La Manga Club, contact Chad Harpur on +34 968 33 1234, email chad.harpur@lamangaclub.com.
For further details about the resort and to book, phone +34 968 17 5577, email reservas@lamangaclub.com or visit www.lamangaclub.com.

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Release issued and distributed by The Azalea Group.

For more information on La Manga Club or images contact Pete Simm on 01730 711920 or email petes@theazaleagroup.com 

La Manga Club - www.lamangaclub.com - is an unrivalled sports and leisure paradise which sits between the low hills that separate the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor Sea, just 20 minutes from Murcia airport and an hour from Alicante.  

Set out over an area of some 560 hectares (approx. 1,400 acres), it enjoys a mild year-round Mediterranean climate and offers visitors a prestigious five-star hotel, luxury vacation apartments and extensive sports facilities, including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre and eight grass sports pitches. The resort is also home to innumerable leisure facilities, such as the 2,000m2 Spa La Manga Club with its 13 luxurious treatment rooms, comprehensive fitness centre and 25m indoor swimming pool; meeting, banqueting and incentive facilities, and more than 20 restaurants and bars. 

As well as hosting both Davis and Fed Cup tennis matches, La Manga Club has signed a long-term deal to be the overseas training resort of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) until 2016. It has also staged the Spanish Open golf championship and regularly attracts professional and international football teams to the first-class year-round training facilities which are also used by rugby and cricket sides.

As a result of more than 40 years of continued investment, innovation and commitment to excellence, La Manga Club is widely recognised as Spain's flagship resort and as one of the finest sports and lifestyle destinations in the world. Evidence of this is provided by its numerous awards and accolades.

La Manga Club was the proud recipient of a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel website, for the facilities and service on offer at its five-star Hotel Principe Felipe. The resort has long been a staunch supporter of women's golf, being the official overseas resort partner of the English Women's Golf Association for three years as well as hosting the Ladies European Tour (LET) Qualifying School from 2009-12. La Manga Club is also the venue for the Ladies Murcia Open, an LET Access Series event, and regularly hosts top women's amateur events and teams.