Reportage

CaixaBank customers tell us about their experiences as FC Barcelona players

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Josep, Jordi and Joan are three of the main players in the project, ‘Buscamos Titulares’, an initiative promoted by CaixaBank that has allowed 44 people to take part in a match at Camp Nou with same conditions as Barcelona’s first team players.

Like all of the other participants, they are Barça supporters who all have the “Visa Barça” card from CaixaBank and won the giveaway organised by the financial institution.

They come from different regions of Spain, mainly from Catalonia, but also from the Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, Galicia, Madrid and Extremadura, and enjoyed an experience that they described as unique.

“It was a dream come true”

“It was a dream come true. I had two dreams in life: to have my photo taken with Johan Cruyff and to play a match at Camp Nou. Now I can safely say that two of my dreams have come true”, said an energetic Jordi Reverter, one of the lucky customers.

The 44 players were invited to spend an afternoon at the Camp Nou stadium, to see the new changing rooms and try on the new 2017/2018 kit.

“The whole process has been very exciting. Stepping foot on the grass, using the Camp Nou changing rooms, getting out on to the pitch... It’s a huge thrill,” said Josep Borrell, another of the participants at the event.

Another winner, Joan Melich, went further, saying: “It was a really fun experience. I enjoyed it because you really get an idea of how impressive the pitch is. The tunnel, the stadium chapel with the statue of the Virgin of Montserrat, the size of the pitch... If you’re one of the home players, Camp Nou must give you a huge feeling of responsibility.”

The pitch looks enormous

All details were seen to and a team of trainers led a technical chat before the players went out on to the pitch. After some basic instructions, the players got warmed up and started the match. “We suggested that the coach put us in a 4-4-2 formation to defend the goal and avoid gaps. In the end it was a 1-1 draw - we scored a goal at the opportunity that we had,” explained Joan.

The low score was a reflection of just how big the pitch felt for the 44 CaixaBank cardholders, who were pushed to the limit. “With the ball at your feet the pitch feels enormous,” said Josep.

In response, Jordi said, “it’s big, but not that big. What really takes you is how the stands look and how immense they are, where 100,000 people would be watching your every move.”

After the event, the players went back into the changing rooms to get changed and enjoy an exclusive visit to the museum and dinner with their guests in the Camp Nou Presidential Box. “There’s no doubt that it was a perfect experience. It’s great that businesses like CaixaBank organise and offer special treatment for their client; it just goes to show that we mean more to them than just number,” Jordi concluded.

 

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