FCBARCELONA.CAT

Pre-season

Barça’s pre-season preparation for the 2006-07 campaign began with a training camp in Denmark, followed by a trip to Mexico and the United States, before taking on Bayern Munich in the Joan Gamper trophy.

Pre-season in Denmark

Barça played the first game of the pre-season against Danish club AGF Aarhus, and beat them 3-0. Mexican youngster Giovani Dos Santos opened the scoring, with Ezquerro and a Schultz own goal making it three. One of the team’s three new signings, Icelandic striker Eidur Gudjohnsen made his debut in the second half.

T our of Mexico and the United States

The pre-season continued with almost two weeks in North America. It was an excellent opportunity to market the club in Mexico and the USA, with capacity crowds turning out to see the European champions win two and draw two against some of the biggest clubs in the two countries. Apart from the four matches, Barça also had institutional business to attend to, including Nike events in Hollywood Boulevard and Nike Town New York, and a visit to NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. Barça also made the day for the young children at the Houston Child Cancer Hospital by going there to show their support.

A fantastic Gamper

The Gamper tournament was a huge success, with Barça winning 4-0 against none other than Bayern Munich. The supporters responded in style to the occasion, with no fewer than 76,000 supporters packing the Camp Nou to enjoy music and other activities in the build-up to the match, as well as the official presentation of the squad.

First friendly in Cairo

FC Barcelona won 4-0 against African champions Al-Ahly at the Cairo International Stadium on occasion of the host club’s centenary celebrations. The game was the first team debut of young striker Bojan Krkic, and he had a great game, scoring once and setting up another. Frank Rijkaard also went to Egypt with Barça B’s Olmo and GIovani.

Friendly in South Africa

Barça ended the season with a trip to Pretoria to play Mamelodi Sundowns. The game ended with Barcelona winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Ezquerro and Crosas.