Spanish Football

The Camp Nou has hosted some of the finest football players in the world since its construction in 1957. As the home of FC Barcelona, it has seen the likes of Ronaldinho, Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff and Maradona pull on the famous shirt. It has also been a theatre of drama, epitomised by Manchester United snatching the Champions League title in the last few minutes of stoppage time from Bayern Munich in 1999. There was also the infamous return of former player Luis Figo to the Camp Nou with fierce rivals Real Madrid, which resulted in a pig’s head being thrown onto the pitch at the ‘Judas’ Figo. The stadium has a capacity of 98,772 making it the largest in Europe and the atmosphere within the stadium is a positive reflection on this number, with many football fans seeing it as a Mecca.
‘Més que un club’ or ‘more than a club’ is the motto of FC Barcelona and the Camp Nou is more than just a stadium. The stadium houses the El Museo del Barça, the most visited museum in Catalonia, which shows the glorious history of the club. The Camp Nou has also played host to some of the biggest music acts such as Michael Jackson and U2, while over 120 000 people celebrated mass with Pope John Paul II in 1982.