A farewell, 'a cappella' songs, and gifts: this was Barça's private party
The first team and part of the board of directors met in Castelldefels amidst great expectation
The FC Barcelona first team squad, the coaching staff, and the board celebrated the end-of-season dinner this Wednesday at the Restaurant Casanova Beach Club in Castelldefels, with about 150 guests. The gathering, initially planned as a celebration for the League and Super Cup titles, also ended up becoming a tribute to Robert Lewandowski, who announced his departure from the club on Saturday. In fact, he already said goodbye to the fans in the last match at Camp Nou against Betis. The Polish forward received recognition from his teammates and the coaching staff in an internal event, even though there is still one match left to play.
During the speeches at the end-of-season dinner, president Rafael Yuste and president-elect Joan Laporta thanked Lewandowski for his contribution and presented him with a commemorative plaque. Furthermore, captain Ronald Araujo highlighted the impact of the Polish forward in the locker room: “He arrived at a very difficult moment and helped us grow as a team”.
Yuste also reviewed the season, with the achievement of the League and Super Cup titles, with a special mention for the injured players. Among the notable absences was that of Fermín López, recently operated on for a fracture in the fifth metatarsal of his right foot. The midfielder has undergone surgery and a recovery period of two to three months is estimated, which rules him out for the World Cup event that starts in three weeks.
From Rolex to chants
The dinner took place hours after another institutional gesture: as reported by Mundo Deportivo, in the morning the first team players –including Hansi Flick and his assistant Marcus Sorg– received a gift in the form of a luxury Swiss watch, a Rolex valued at around 30,000 euros, as a prize for winning the League title. The rest of the technical staff was not included in this institutional detail, but did participate in the gala dinner under the same conditions as the rest of the guests. All in all, in an evening that also featured informal moments, such as the a cappella rendition of the Barça anthem by Rafa Yuste, which was met with surprise and laughter among those present.
Lamine Yamal's new partner
Among the attendees was also Lamine Yamal, who attended the event accompanied by the Sevillian influencer Inés García, who participated normally in the end-of-season celebration dinner of the locker room. Together they appeared in public for the first time as a couple. The presence of both did not go unnoticed among the attendees and fans who gathered around the venue to receive the Barça players.
The dinner also served to warm up engines before the last match of the season against Valencia, which will be played this Saturday at Mestalla, although some players are already looking further ahead and have their sights set on the World Cup that kicks off this coming June.