FCBARCELONA.CAT

07.01.2010 11:43

7,000 people on an unforgettable day

Anna Segura

More than 7,000 people braved the cold to go to the Miniestadi for Thursday morning’s open doors training session. In the third year this has happened, this was the biggest turnout so far.

The first team left the Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper for a day to train in the Miniestadi. And that was because Josep Guardiola and his players were training in front of anybody who wanted to be there. Plenty of people took this chance to came en masse to the stadium and see how the winners of six trophies train.

A thrill for the children

The doors to the Miniestadi opened at 9.30 and gradually the terraces filled, especially with children taking advantage of the fact that there was no school today. Lots of them came decked out in Barça clothing, scarves and other items or holding banners and enjoyed the excitement of this late Christmas gift from FC Barcelona.

Record attendance

Barcelona is cold and wet at the moment, but that didn’t prevent the Miniestadi from looking fantastic, with more than 7,000 people coming through the doors, manly children, a record for the event:

3-01-2008: 2,300 people
7-01-2009: 3,100 people
7-01-2010: 6,300 people

Lots of optimism

This was the first Barça session since home cup defeat to Sevilla, so it was especially morale boosting for there to be so many people there. Alves commented on that, saying "they have faith in our team and we wanted to make them happy.” The Brazilian, as well as all the other players, also signed autographs and posed for photos with the fans. This is the kind of day that Alves especially enjoys, and he said “these things make us greater and we love making the fans happy. They deserve all the effort we make ".

Enjoying the match

After the physical exercises, and after the players that started against Sevilla had withdrawn, the remaining players stayed to provide the people what they most wanted to see. On a downsized pitch, the squad played a match, and the fans especially enjoyed seeing the goals and admiring some saves from Valdés and Pinto.

Autograph session

Once it was over, the players thanked the fans by applauding them from the centre of the pitch. Then came the time for autographs and photos, with the players crowded by supporters seeking a memento of such a lovely occasion. The man they were particularly after was Leo Messi, who didn’t stop signing his name and smiling at the cameras.