September 24 - Camp Nou Turns 50

IT’S seen countless cup finals, the world’s best players, a host of wonder goals and what Clyde Tyldesley will forever describe as ‘that wonderful night in Barcelona’ thirty times in every Champions League’s match he’ll ever commentate on. Today Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium hits it’s half century.

Back in the 1950’s Barcelona had outgrown their Camp de Les Corts ground, so set about creating one of the world’s finest football stadiums. And architects Francesc Mitjans-Miró, Lorenzo García Barbon and Josep Soteras Mauri nailed it, as they built what is still Europe’s biggest stadium and one of the best places to watch the beautiful game in full-effect. And all it took was three-and-a-half years and 288 million pesetas.

The first game played at Camp Nou pitted Barca against Legia Warsaw, and in-case it ever comes up in a pub quiz, the first goal was bagged by Eulogio Martinez in a 4-2 win for the Catalan side. Over the years Camp Nou has seen it’s fair share of big games, such as a host of European finals, a World Cup opener in 1982 and an Olympic final in 1992. There’s also the small matter of Europe’s biggest derby once a year when Real Madrid come the place where Johan Cruyff and Diego Maradona used to call home.

It’s not just footy at Camp Nou though, as pop stars such as Michael Jackson, U2 and Bruce Springsteen have all (probably) uttered the words ‘good evening Barcelona, are you ready to rock?’ on the hallowed turf. Pope John Paul II also got in on the act in 1982 as he took a mass infront of 120,000 god-fearing Spaniards.

As a birthday present the Bacra big-wigs have just announced a €250 million facelift that will seen Sir Norman Foster adding a mosaic of coloured tiles to envelope the stadium. Celebrations were held this weekend to mark the anniversary, with Leo Messi making sure a happy birthday was had by all with a brace against Sevilla in a 2-1 win for Barca which can be seen below if you can stand to look at Sevilla’s new away kit for too long. Join us tomorrow to see where it all began for one of the BBC’s more reserved pundits.

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