A very special session at Camp Nou
There was a fervent atmosphere in Camp Nou. Emotion and excitement filled the stadium throughout Ferran Torres' presentation and the open door training session. Young voices and smiles warmed hearts during this sunny January 3 morning.
Festive mood
It simply had to be Dani Alves' jovial nature to kick off the post-match recovery session after the win in Mallorca (0-1). "This is a time to feel people's warmth to help us progress. We have to come together to achieve good things this year", explained Barça's number 8. The right-back, who along with Jordi Alba, has recently joined training, raised the spirits among the spectators, who were delighted to see Xavi Hernández and the squad. Robot Pol took a photo of the squad, much to the delight of a hospitalised child.
This was a return to a special tradition for the first time in two years, as the open door training session couldn't be held last year. The first during the festive period, the session in Camp Nou saw the squad split into two groups. Players that featured in the match against Mallorca went through a recovery session, while the rest of the squad trained close to the Barça fans, featuring lightning quick rondos. The youngest fans looked astounded and even stopped cheering for a moment such was their fascination.
Presents for the public
The 13,513 spectators in Camp Nou created a festive and vociferous atmosphere. They saw the Barça squad wish Nico a happy birthday and Ferran Torres join part of the training. The presents continued with the ball the protagonist. Some of the players sent Barça balls into the stands and other scored well-taken goals, both during shooting practice and the mini-match organised by Xavi's coaching team. Applause all round!
The passion from the public was evident, even more so when some footballers approached to sign some autographs, including Uruguayan central defender Ronald Araujo, who said "It was really nice to train in front of the crowd. They are very important for us". This brought a special, thrilling hour-long training session to an end. A morning to reemphasise FC Barcelona values and the start of a week with a cup competition on the horizon. Xavi and the squad travel to Jaén for their debut in this season's Copa del Rey on Wednesday, January 5. They will take the warmth from the Camp Nou fans with them.