THE Catalan glamour of European champions Barcelona came to Marlow this week as the Spanish giants geared up for their English tour.

Stars such as Argentina forward Lionel Messi and French striker Thierry Henry trained at Bisham Abbey in preparation for the Wembley Cup where they will play Tottenham Hotspur, Celtic and Al Ahly starting on Friday.

The Spanish La Liga winners stayed at Danesfield House hotel in Henley Road, Marlow ahead of the tournament in London.

Goalkeeper Victor Valdes, former Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen, ex-Arsenal midfielder Alexander Hleb and rising talent Bojan travelled with the Camp Nou outfit.

Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola said:“The Wembley Cup is a fantastic opportunity for our fans in the UK to watch Barcelona play in the incredible surroundings of Wembley Stadium.

“The club has happy memories of Wembley having won the European Cup there in 1992 so it is great to be returning The tournament will be a very important part of our preparations for the new season.”

Barca begin their quest to lift the inaugural trophy against eight times FA Cup winners Spurs, managed by Harry Redknapp, on Friday night.

The sides will line up at 8pm for a game televised by Sky Sports.