On Monday, FC Barcelona and the Barça Foundation presented the club’s Christmas campaign in the Auditori 1899, focused on the impact of emotional support when accompanying children and adolescents affected by serious illnesses. Framed within the Polseres Blaugrana (`Barça Wristbands') project, the campaign carries the tagline “Because Barça’s magic also heals” and showcases the Foundation’s programmes aimed at improving the emotional well-being of hospitalised children and their families. These include visits by players to hospitals, the creation of Barça spaces for hospitalised adolescents, dog-assisted therapy, therapeutic dance, the Robots project, and an oncology gym for teenagers.

This year’s Christmas campaign video stars men’s and women’s first team footballers Pau Cubarsí, Fermín López, Robert Lewandowski, Irene Paredes and Alexia Putellas, who took part in meetups with children affected by different illnesses. In this mini documentary produced by Barça Identity, the players share moments of closeness and calm, listening to the life stories of Adrià, Aina, Chloe, Eduardo and Yasmín through a Barça lens. The campaign also features testimonials from healthcare professionals and family members, highlighting the positive impact these experiences have on children’s emotional state and on family support. 

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FC Barcelona’s Christmas video

The power of hope as emotional medicine 

At the campaign presentation, the Barça Foundation’s CEO, Dr Marta Segú, explained how the programme helps to humanise the hospital environment and create moments of hope and joy in especially difficult contexts. Improving a sick child’s emotional well-being can, in some cases, have a positive impact on prognosis, and in others even reduce medication for pain or anxiety. 

Meanwhile, club president Joan Laporta underlined the pride of leading a club with such deep-rooted social commitment and highlighted Barça’s ability to generate a positive impact beyond sport, both in Catalonia and around the world. The Foundation, as the club’s social arm, reaches children who need it most, and through its projects demonstrates that Barça is truly “More than a Club”, with social and charity-driven actions that cross borders. In this regard, the president stated that "the blaugrana wristband is the new symbol of solidarity of the Barça family with children and adolescents who are suffering from illness. The wristband is not just an accessory. Each one reflects the club’s commitment to supporting children and young people facing situations of extreme difficulty.” 

The presentation event was also attended by the institutional vice-president Elena Fort, Barça Foundation vice-presidents Xavier Sala Martín and Joan Boix, Foundation patrons, as well as healthcare professionals, children and families benefiting from the project. 

A social commitment rooted in the club’s history 

The event also highlighted the profound meaning of the slogan “More than a Club”, which has been a cornerstone of Barça’s identity for 126 years. At different points in history it has represented the defence of freedoms and democracy, the promotion of the Catalan language and culture, later a unique style of play and the creation of La Masia, and for several decades now the club’s social commitment to those most in need through its Foundation, which today runs more than 60 social projects across 109 municipalities in Catalonia and 23 countries worldwide..

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