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Photo by Bartek Molga
Fans celebrating homepage
Fans celebrate victory against Chelsea
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On the metro
With the metro staying open late, fans of all ages travelled to and from the city centre to celebrate Barça's victory3 of 6
Crowds on the Ramblas
An estimated 100,000 people gathered in the centre of Barcelona to mark the historic season that Barça have had. While the majority were there to have a good time, a few caused damages to local establishments while others threw objects at the police, ambulances and fire engines: 119 people were eventually arrested.4 of 6
Climbing the Font de Canaletes
Whenever Barça fans have something to celebrate, which has happened a lot recently, this is where they head: the Canaletes Fountain at the top of the Ramblas. Those who are feeling particularly emotional will touch the fountain while others will clamber up it5 of 6
How many people can climb a fountain?
The Fountain of Canaletes can barely be seen underneath all the fans who had climbed up it6 of 6
Fan celebrates by not wearing much
This man walked the Ramblas in a yellow Barça t-shirt, Barça hat and some rather small Barça knickers. Do you have any photos from the match or celebrations? We'd love to receive them—send your images to info@barcelona-metropolitan.comIs this the best Barcelona side in history? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, this side, led by Pep Guardiola and captained by the strong, curly-haired Puyol, is truly historic. They have won the Spanish league. The Copa del Rey. And now the Champions League. They are officially the best in Europe. Probably the world.
It's like a fairy tale. But a real one. A year ago, the thought of FC Barcelona winning anything seemed a long way away in a galaxy that we didn't know. Ronaldinho was overweight, bored, uninterested and he seemed to bring the rest of the team down with him. Frank Rikjaard, the trainer, was too laid-back to bring the team under control. The president, Joan Laporta, was feeling the pressure. Who knew if he would survive the summer. But he did, and he took a 'risk' on Josep 'Pep' Guardiola to take over from Rijkaard. Guardiola is a much-loved local hero here from his time as a player and member of the Dream Team, but generally considered inexperienced as a manager. He's only 38. What kind of age is that? His team lost the first two matches of the season. How far away does that seem now?
Die-hard Barcelona fans could scarcely believe it. It all seemed like a dream. The commentators were excited but tried to contain themselves up to the final whistle. Even when victory is declared, on the 93rd minute, the celebration is slightly subdued. We all suffered from when Samuel Eto'o scored in the 10th minute. It was a beautiful goal, but was it too early? Cristiano Ronaldo was threatening early on, but gradually lost faith. He had three, four, five attempts on goal before Barça had really done anything. But then. Eto'o. He scored. He seemed stunned. We were all stunned.
Manchester United fought. But Barcelona fought harder. And in the end, that's what it came down to. Barcelona benefitted from luck tonight, and it was about time. How many times have the team been in the position of losing because of the luck of their opponents? They could have scored more, of course. And perhaps if they had had a team at full strength - with Alves, Albidal, Marques - the final result would have been even more conclusive. But it didn't have to be. They did more than enough.
Felicitats, campiones.