Barcelona had a happy birthday. There couldn't have been a better gift for the anniversary than a ticket to the round of 16 of the Champions League. Joan Laporta blew out the candles on the cake commemorating the 124 years of history of the Blaugrana club and gave free rein to his euphoria. The atmosphere would hardly have been as relaxed, cheerful and triumphant at the presentation of the club's 125th anniversary logo and manifesto had they not beaten Porto on Tuesday. But the triumph of Xavi's team, alternating doses of agony and moments of good football, managed to calm the spirits, agitated after the draw in Vallecas and the image of the last matches. He gave a truce to the weekly controversy club. A peace of mind ticket, as the coaching staff likes to call it. Laporta's unredeemed optimism did the rest when he took over the event in which David Carabén was presented as commissioner of the celebrations.
Not long ago he dragged his feet, worried, now he has them in a cloud, excited. “Being from Barça is a fun suffering,” the president defined that merry-go-round of feelings. An agonizing fun, a pleasurable torment. A heart in suspense that can lead to an explosion of joy. “Barça is lived very intensely because we are also a multi-sports club. They are sensations that not everyone can have. “I have a great time,” he confessed.
The president has seen this firsthand in recent days. Laporta, who returned to travel on the team plane, went from not liking the 1-1 – or the refereeing – in Vallecas at all to seeking solace and refuge in Rafa Márquez's Barça Atlètic in Palamós, to end up hugging Xavi in the bowels of the Lluís Companys stadium after the 2-1 against Porto, which acted as a painkiller in the environment, before toasting with champagne and kicking off a very special 125th anniversary, which should serve, among other things, for Barcelona to return to Spotify Camp Nou, although not yet with full capacity.
Laporta can boast of being the only president to have won two Champions Leagues. And yet, since he had returned to the presidency (March 2021), the president had not yet experienced any qualification for the round of 16 of the Champions League. Barça is once again among the best teams on the continent, after two consecutive years falling to the Europa League, and can focus on the League, where they must recover ground. Atlético and Girona will be the next to pass through Montjuïc. “I was very happy to beat Porto and that we are already classified for the round of 16. “That gives us iron morale for Atlético de Madrid,” he reflected, speaking from the side.
Laporta had a special mention for the first team coach. “I was happy for all the culés, but especially for Xavi, who deserves it because he has overcome difficult moments with many injured. I was happy that João Félix and Cancelo scored, who played a great game. Watching Pedri run 13.5 km, he played Pedri and Gavi. With Frenkie (de Jong) recovered we have the ball again and now we are unbeatable”, he threw the bells into the air, captured by euphoria.
It was not the only dedication, since the president did not overlook those who do not want Barça to do well. “I also liked it because there were those who were hoping that we wouldn't win. To win, we have to be much better than the rest. It costs us a lot,” he said, referring to the Madrid speakers, but also to the latest arbitrations that the team has been involved in. And in case anyone had any doubts, Laporta verbalized it in detail. “I was surprised that they were talking about nonsense and not talking about Raphinha's penalty… and Lewandowski's. There were two penalties,” he pointed out. Two maximum penalties that could have changed the direction of Vallecas' game. “If it happens to Madrid, they'll be talking about it all week. “It is not victimhood, it is what would have happened,” he assured.
The president was in his element, whose eyes even turned red with emotion when analyzing the moments of renewal that Barcelona is experiencing as it approaches 125 years. “We are privileged, and that's why I get emotional,” he said, remembering those who are no longer here. “I would ask Barcelona fans to enjoy this anniversary. We have to be worthy and I ask that we live more united than ever in the face of adversity,” he advised. According to Laporta, the objective is for Barça to reach the anniversary as “a respected, loved, recognized and remembered club in Catalonia and around the world.” Although in the case of Barça, we will have to see how the mood turns out on Sunday at 11 pm after the visit of Griezmann, Morata and, of course, Cholo Simeone.
