Dressed in maroon and blue I was ready for this incredible match between Barcelona and Sporting, Lisbon. Walking to the gate I gave my ticket to a nice gentleman who welcomed me into Camp Nou with a big smile on his face, I walked up a few levels of stairs and entered to the most amazing site I had ever seen, an atmosphere that gave me chills. Keep in mind that before this game I really had no interest in soccer and didn’t really pay attention to anything relating to soccer but I knew that here in Barcelona it is one of the biggest things people cherish. Earlier that day I saw multiple people walking around in green and white and I knew that, that was probably the team Barcelona was playing. Anyways, once I made my way to my seat and finally was able to catch my breath I realized I was in the middle of a bunch of Barcelona fans constantly shouting and screaming for their team.
The support that these fans had for their team was unbelievable, whenever Barcelona missed a goal they never got mad or disappointed, they kept on cheering louder and louder to show that they wont give up on their team, which was very cool for me to see because in America if our football team misses a field goal or a touchdown we tend to boo our team or get very frustrated this was a very big difference in cultural dimensions between Spain and the United States. Another thing that I did notice was a lack of women at the game I looked around and saw mostly groups of men, when in America I remember going to hockey and football games as a little girl and for me that is a memory I will always remember even though it is considered a “Man” sport.
Being able to experience a FC Barcelona game while studying abroad in this beautiful city was the most amazing experience, just seeing how they interact at a sporting event and seeing how as a culture they are all coming together at one time, in one place was surreal. With so much hate in our world and so many bad things happening around us each day, this game brought me peace and happiness. It’s a way to celebrate with good friends and family and just to forget about the worries you might have. I leave Barcelona in 2 weeks, and will miss this city more than words, the experiences that I will cherish forever especially this FC Barcelona game. Barcelona ended up winning 2-0 against Lisbon with goals by Alcacer and Mathieu.
This team is the best team in the world for a reason they just keep winning and winning, with so many fans full of energy and enthusiasm I was surprised to find out that they didn’t sell alcohol in the stadium especially because everywhere I walk in the city there are bars and clubs everywhere, people are drinking starting at 8am in the morning enjoying a nice cold beer with friends. I actually really liked this concept because even though alcohol “helps you have fun” it still takes away from the general experience. Some similarities that I did see between the Spanish culture and the American culture was the clothing, because in America we wear colors and jerseys to support our team and so did they. Another one is the way that everyone interacted with each-other and came together, I remember hearing the crowd all sing/chant the same thing at the same time and in America at a hockey game or a football game we do the same thing, “becoming one”.
I didn’t really have too many expectations when going to the game, I heard from other people that I MUST go, but didn’t really look into what I was going to experience. You never really know what to expect until you actually do it, that’s one thing I have learned being here, you have to be able to keep an open mind. Before I did go to the game, I actually met a group of young males at a tapas restaurant, they were all wearing Barcelona jerseys, they spoke English and began to tell me how they have season tickets. I thought it was so cool seeing them dressed for the game and overly excited about what they were about to go and experience, after that I knew I had to go to a game.
Overall, this experience was amazing and I would recommend to anyone that they should go andsee a game.
21 & living 