A Nou Experience

Tradition, history, pride and passion- epitomises the makeup of arguably the greatest team in world football. Barcelona FC are ‘more than a club’ they are an institution, a tourist attraction, and recognisable across every country and continent. This has been my dream since I started watching football at a young age, to grace the Nou Camp where legends such as Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, Sonny Anderson, Luis Enrique, Deco and of course Lionel Messi- made their name.

   To me the Nou Camp is the crème de la crème, the 100,000 capacity stadium has witnessed some of the finest moments the game has ever seen. And there I was standing in the tunnel of greatness, I close my eyes and imagine what it would be like to don the strip, match ball under my arm and ascend up the stairs and onto the pitch for a Champions League night. I would be nicknamed ‘Captain Marvel’ people of all ages would have my surname emblazoned on the back of their replica kits.

   And every time I received the ball, fans would rise from their seats, expecting a wonder strike, a sublime piece of skill or a pass that was so accurate it could be threaded through the eye of a needle. The opposition managers’ heart would sink when he knew I was on the team sheet. He would tell his team before kickoff ‘watch out for the number 10 Ryan Hillback, a fine English centre forward, with a bulldog spirit and incredible agility.’ But it’s a dream that millions like myself, will never relive.  

  

Third Person Account

The tour guide has witnessed this sight more than he can remember. A tourist wondering around the Nou Camp in a state of reverie- marvelling at the plethora of trophies that have been won by the club over decades. But Rafael finds the Nou Camp tedious; he works here seven days a week, and finds that his job has no variety. Every day he shows people around the stadium, informing them about the clubs history, repeating the same anecdotes and telling the same jokes about their fierce rivals Real Madrid. When Rafael first started the job ten years ago, he was overjoyed by the prospect at employment by his beloved team. But the novelty soon wore off.

   However, something about this English visitor ignited a passion inside him that he thought would never return. This football fan, wanted pictures taken everywhere, by the trophies, replica kits, memorabilia, tunnel area, pitch side, dugouts, dressing rooms- literally he was photographed by his dad in every part of the stadium. The tour guide remembered a time when he enjoyed the stadium as much as this young lad did. And he began to appreciate how fortunate he was to work in such a unique and pulsating environment.