Obviously, this was going to gear up to be a huge night, whether Barcelona won or lost. I think this region in the world must be one of the most sports- centred. If you are not a Barca fan you are not Catalan, some people say. It is a symbol of regional identity, for many even a symbol of a national Catalonian identity which marks most people form this part of Spain.During the last few years especially, football has given Barcelona nearly as many prizes and rewards as any industry in Barcelona. Football is a religion here and certainly one of its biggest markets too! But it has probably been since the 2010 World Cup when Spain won that the Barca team has gained even more momentum. Most of the Spanish national team were Catalonians and from the Barcelona team, so thousands of people around here cheered them as if they Catalunya had won the World Cup, and not Spain.
The longstanding enmity between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid caused as much happiness over the fact that Barcelona had beaten Real Madrid to the title as the fact that they had actually won the Champions. For about fifteen minutes, people shouted the now famous "Porque?" which Real Madrid coach Mourinho had uttered in a press conference, and even a song has been made about it, to which over thirty thousand people responded after each verse with a tremendous "Porque?"
These events in Spain cause thousands of people to flock to the streets to share the moment which could become legendary or a moment to be forgotten. Luckily for Barcelona, the last few times major matches has been played they have always won, so there was reason to hope for another celebration that night. And that is exactly what happened.
We met some american student who had come over to Spain for a few months. One of the only things we talked about was football and how everyone joins in the celebrations on the streets for the whole night. One of the most repeated statements by the Americans was that they had come to Spain for this experience: people gathering socially to see a match which not only brought home a sense of deep Catalan pride, but also joined them together on the streets to show the world that they are the best fan club in the football world.
Just as it is typical in Madrid to celebrate a football victory at the central Cibeles square, here in Barcelona it is tradition to celebrate at the top of the Rambla, a large street heading from Plaza Catalunya down to the shore. At the top end is the statue of Canaletes, where the Barcelona fans traditionally gather to celebrate. Ignoring the odd occasional disturbance, these nights generally go by without major incidents.
Chaos in the Metro: thousands of people boarded trains at Arc del Triomf, whilst another few thousand had to wait up to fifteen minutes for another train of late night revellers pouring out.
These sort of public events are always popular with Spaniards, because it provides yet another opportunity to go out and have a good time; and Spanish people have always been night owls, to avoid the day's heat. With Spain's reputation for being a party nation, such events always attract thousands, and this night at the Arc del Triomf there could not have been more people who were enjoying their night. It was a scene which will probably last a long time in the minds of those who lived it. And if this is the reception of winning the Championship final, I wonder what winning the World Cup final must have been like!
It reminds me of a certain scene in Cinema Paradiso when the people gather on the square to watch a film being screened against a large building. Times and people don't change really, do they?
cultural identity is a curious thing and seems to lend itself especially to tribal games such as football. Catalonia really could benefit more from an economic perspective if its leaders were to encourage pride among the voters by thrifty public spending, and thus reduce it's autonomic deficit!
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