BARCELONA.- The frustration over the endless delays and criticism is expected to end this Saturday, when the FC Barcelona return to its renovated stadium, the Camp Noubefore him Athletic Bilbao on the thirteenth day of LaLiga.
The ambition of the club, which like the stadium is still in the reconstruction phase, is to have a state-of-the-art venue, at the level of a team that has returned to the European elite.
Work will continue at the Camp Nou, and is expected to finish in the summer of 2027, a year later than planned, when its roof is placed.
At the same time, the team Hansi Flickwho achieved a domestic treble last season, was on the verge of a European final, being eliminated by the Inter Milan in the semi-finals of the Champions. This year, he dreams of going further.
The stadium, in decline in recent years, has been a true reflection of the club’s status in the last decade, since the most recent Champions League won by Barça in 2015.
On the pitch, the team fell behind its rivals, and expensive signings, such as Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembeleamong others, failed.
Financially, Barça sank into a large debt, coaches came and went and the club’s greatest icon, Lionel Messialso left, shortly after Joan Laporta to become president in 2021.
The Argentine was back at the Camp Nou at the beginning of November, on an impromptu visit, which demonstrated both his love for the club and the tension that still exists between the attacker and the current board.
Laporta reiterated this month that in 2021 there was no way for Messi to stay and that he had to put “Barça above everything.”
It was one of the reasons the club pressed ahead with the €1.5 billion ($1.75 billion) Camp Nou reconstruction, even in a precarious financial situation.
Laporta’s board activated several financial ‘levers’ in 2022 to make a series of signings, including Robert Lewandowski and Raphinhawhile at the same time reducing the wage bill.
Along with the appearance of young stars like Lamine Yamalcoming from the acclaimed La Masia academy, these moves kept Barça a competitive team in the midst of its economic crisis.
Despite the critical financial situation, Laporta considered the renovation of the Camp Nou essential.
“This project was born 15 years ago and for eleven of them nothing has been done,” Laporta said at the beginning of November.
“At the Camp Nou, history will be made”
The reopening of the stadium will also provide a welcome boost to the club’s coffers and compensate for the sacrifices made previously.
The proposed budget for the 2025/26 season included an additional income of 51 million euros ($58 million), as the return to the Camp Nou was taken into account.
The stadium will reopen with a capacity of 45,401 seats, with the upper level still to be built, but once completed it will reach 105,000, the largest in Europe.
If they reach at least 90% at the start of next season, as planned, Barça will retain some income from its sponsorship deal with Spotify, which is at risk due to renewal delays, according to Spanish media.
The new stadium “maintains the mythical moments of the past, but with a new soul. It’s like returning to the future,” Laporta said.
The Barcelona stars are eager to return. “Montjuïc was the beginning, the Camp Nou is where history will be made,” Yamal published in an image on Instagram.
The teenager made his Barça debut at the age of 15 at Camp Nou, weeks before it was mostly demolished, but many members of the team have never played there.
Just as the previous version of the stadium, inaugurated in 1957, hosted great soccer superstars and many historic matches, so should the new Camp Nou, which is running as a potential candidate to host the 2030 World Cup final, a tournament that will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“It is a legacy for future Barcelona fans,” said Laporta, who defined the Camp Nou as “an architectural jewel that will be the best stadium in the world.”
On Saturday, Barcelona will try to provisionally equal the leader real Madrid (31 points), which will visit on Sunday at Elche.
