Within the walls of the new – and still half-baked – Spotify Camp Nou, feelings were shared: emotion, nostalgia and excitement. After 894 days since FC Barcelona’s last match in its stadium, on May 28, 2023 against Mallorca, Camp Nou opened its doors to a total of 21,795 people in a training session of the men’s first team. A dress rehearsal – which ended without incident – for the club, a meeting for fans and players, a first time for many of them. With the cranes in the background and the long return dates announced by the club forgotten, the fans experienced training as a match. The ball rolled back onto the grass that belonged to Messi and now tramples Lamine Yamal, football has caught its breath and the new Camp Nou has started to beat again as before.
Before half past nine – the opening time – the public rushed to queue impatiently at the various entrances to the stadium, after having paid between five and ten euros for the ticket to be among the 23 thousand seats provided between the South Gate and the First and Second Stands, renovated and better suited to viewing. Members and non-members, families, youth and elderly groups. More familiar profiles, different on another Friday morning: some asked for a party; others confess to skipping classes. On the doors, photographs with the Camp Nou behind and the cranes as the background of the image that raises the third stand, increasingly covered in concrete between the metal structure. And a lot of intrigue and nerves.
“When I entered, my legs trembled,” says Jaume Esterich in a low voice. Culé member for most of his life – 62 of his 64 years – and with a place, he was present in the last match of the Camp Nou against Mallorca. In the meantime he went to watch all the matches of the exile in Montjuïc. Before reaching his seat he becomes emotional, on the verge of tears: “We really wanted to go back. The wait was long.”
A speech repeated in the rest of the public, regardless of generations or places of origin. “It has the same face and the same feeling, but it is more modern,” says Jesús Larios, 42, accompanied by his wife, eight-year-old sons and eleven-year-old daughter. They asked for a party in their respective workplaces to accompany the little ones, who smile shyly: “If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here.” Barça fans have always attended a match in Montjuïc, “but it’s not the same”: “It’s a training day, and there’s more of a match feeling.” All they have left is the emotion of the long wait. “Maybe they were hasty in setting a return date. But it’s better to wait than mess up,” he points out.
Núria Llardés and Ernest Pinós, 22 and 23 years old, came from Lleida on motorbikes, wearing their t-shirts. “The wait was worth it”, they both share, who hope that this open training will encourage the team on a sporting level. Of course they have one request: “Now the entertainment stands need to return.” The future entertainment space, at Gol Sud and with seating railway seats —they can be blocked vertically to see the standing room—, it will be called Gol 1957. “We will try to make it a young stand. What we don’t want is violent behavior. This space will be organized by the club,” Laporta assured.
“We are very excited, I have never come to see Barça”, explains Valeria smiling while holding two posters of Fermín and Lamine. She is 12 years old and today she skipped school and even an exam to realize what is a dream for her. She is accompanied by her father, Antonio Jiménez, who recalls that the culé tradition comes from the family, from his grandfather in Jaén. They complain about the price of tickets, which is why they had never been to the stadium. «I’m waiting for them to finally inaugurate it so I can come with it», confesses Antonio. «This is history: you will be able to tell your grandchildren that you were there the day the new Spotify Camp Nou opened», he tells Valeria.
Father and daughter entered Gol Sur, where the fans celebrated the saves of their goalkeepers, especially Joan García, in the final part of their return. Amid applause and the Barça anthem, the players, including the injured ones, came out of the locker room tunnel, turned and remained watching the crowd cheering for Lamine Yamal. “It’s a tremendous illusion to return to the Camp Nou. It’s divine, very beautiful. I was excited, everyone knows what this stadium is, what it imposes. The crowd doesn’t disappoint. And it’s a motivation for the team,” Araujo shared with the club’s official media.
The training took place like a match, a dress rehearsal, complete with a light show, sound system, scoreboard and public celebration of the goals. There was also space for bonding with the public: at the end of the session, the players dedicated themselves to throwing balls into the stands, asking for more and more, and some remained to sign for the fans. “We felt at home. The atmosphere was incredible. I still have the dream of playing here and I hope it comes true soon,” confessed Marc Casadó.
According to Laporta, present at Gol Sur after the partial opening, Barcelona could play an official match again on November 22 against Athletic Club with a capacity of 45,000 people “if there are no imponderables” and if they receive the first occupancy license for phase 1B, the team adds, next week. They could play the Champions League with it, but UEFA regulations do not allow changing stadiums halfway through. alloy. “We have started to try to play part of the league phase. There is a good dialogue with UEFA,” Laporta said. The president imagined a tribute to Messi with 105,000 people, even a Champions League final at Camp Nou, and assured that the stadium “will generate triple the revenue”.
Another possible reopening date would be November 29th against Alavés. It would coincide with the 126th anniversary of the Barça club, and it would also be a year after the first established deadline. Despite the delay in the works and the noise that surrounds them, the fans live with hope: they have left the waiting and doubts behind and embrace a closer future.
