FCBARCELONA.CAT

07.01.2009 14:29

Visiting the children in hospital

Míriam Nadal

Players, coaches and directors have completed the festive celebrations by paying a visit to local hospitals to see the children as part of a campaign of the club’s Fundación entitled “A present for a dream”.

In what has become a tradition at this time of year, Barça went to hospitals in the city and the surrounding areas to see the kids, Visiting Vall d’Hebron were president Joan Laporta, Víctor Valdés, Dani Alves, Martín Cáceres, Bojan, assistant coach Tito Vilnanova and vice-president Joan Boix. They met children in the nephrology, oncology and infectious illness wards. The futsal players Fernandao and Saad also visited.

The Hospital de Sant Joan Déu saw coach Josep Guardiola accompanied by Rafa Márquez, Thierry Henry, Éric Abidal, Carles Puyol and Aliaksandr Hleb. The vice-president Alfons Godall, the director of the Fundación, Marta Segú, and the Barça Mobicat coach Marc Carmona all went too.

Where they all went

Lionel Messi and Gerard Piqué were at the Hospital de Nens de Barcelona, while Samuel Eto’o, Andrés Iniesta, Yaya Touré, Seydou Keita and Juan Carlos Unzué all went to Sant Pau, Sylvinho, Albert Jorquera and Pedro were in the Hospital del mar, Eidur Gudjohnsen and José Manuel Pinto went to the Hospital de Barcelona and Xavi, Sergio Busquets and Víctor Sánchez were in the Hospital Trias and Pujol de Badalona. In all the hospitals the board and players from other sections were also present.

Bojan and Rafa Márquez explained why they enjoy the visits: “For us it is great to be able to do something so simple that means so much to the children in hospital and their families,” Bojan told Barça TV and ww.fcbarcelona.cat. “It is very important,” Márquez continued. “We can bring a bit of happiness to the children that have had to spend the festivities in hospital which is not good. The visit cheers them up.”