Barça takes Barcelona to the streets

BarcelonaOnly Sant Jordi and a Barça street parade are capable of attracting crowds to the streets of Barcelona in the post-Procés era. During these two climactic days, Barcelona resembles a little more the sentimental Barcelona that many yearn for the rest of the days. Then, Barcelona is a little more Barcelona, the one our parents told us about. Especially if the temperature is like a hammock and a mojito, spring has already been won, and Barça is once again bringing joy to the country. For one afternoon, it seems as if everything wrong has vanished from the map, and people even dare to show more courage than usual. Like the Basque Iñigo Martínez, who took advantage of the Barça street parade bus's passage through Plaza Catalunya to wave an estelada (easter flag).

The most inventive fans find ways to dress up as Lamine Yamal, with a wig with yellow hair, sunglasses on their head, and their fingers (despite capsulitis) showing 304, the last digits of the postal code of the neighborhood where Lamine Yamal grew up."This is a special street," explains another fan, Izan, at the ARA. His father took him to his first Barça street in 2015, when Luis Enrique's team won the treble. Now he's an adult and goes with his friends. "This year we played differently. We've put together a sporting project that's also exciting for next year; it's a project with a future," he believes.

Carla, a journalism student, has less experience with Barça parades. "I missed the last parade [the 2023 parade for the men's and women's teams] because I was away from Catalonia. I'm very excited about this parade because I love Barça like nothing else in the world. With Flick and Lamine Yamal, this will surely continue," she says. She's wearing a Barça shirt under a Barça flag that hugs her. The parade started eighteen minutes late compared to the scheduled time of 6 p.m. Meanwhile, the hundreds of Barça fans waiting on Avinguda Arístides Maillol, in front of Camp Nou, which is under construction, passed the time by singing songs and setting off firecrackers, startling the crowd. According to the Guardia Urbana (Urban Police), 670,000 people watched the Barça parade.

Life is better with people like Szczesny

This is the double (treble if the Spanish Super Cup is added to the League and the Copa del Rey) of the Barça footballers who sing A day of party with the same passion as the liveliest Barça fan in their town square. This is the double of footballers who live their particular university years, passing exams in the best stadiums in Europe. The beer bar is the Estadio da Luz, and the nightclub for naughty nights is the Santiago Bernabéu. There are no children at the celebrations, a change from previous generations of Barça players. Children endear the fans, but they tend to spoil improvisation. With many children in the squad, it's harder for the idea of taking a Bicing bicycle (you, who've just won a league title and would be given a limousine if you asked) to go in the early hours to visit Ferran Torres in the hospital to continue the celebrations. The exception that proves the rule is that Szczesny is a father and smokes cigars in the locker room with the aura of an amateur actor directed by Albert Serra.

Even harder to describe was his look on the bus at the rúa (street bus). Hat, sunglasses, a contented look, and a contemplative life. A farmer from Texas. With that confidence, Szczesny takes the extra time in his sporting career. His calmness contrasted with that of Frenkie de Jong, one of the most euphoric. Lamine Yamal, meanwhile, licked a lollipop as if he were in Rocafonda Park. Aina and Pau were a little more nervous on the Travessera de les Corts. For Pau, it was his first Barça rúa (street bus); Aina, on the other hand, has already experienced others. "I imagined this team could achieve the double. I even saw a treble as possible. I'm looking forward to much more," says Aina. "I see a lot of enthusiasm for the club," adds Pau. "Being a Barça fan is the best thing there is," shouts Ronald Araujo, microphone in hand, from the top of the bus.