As soon as the match against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu finished, the euphoria broke out among the Blaugrana. The images of Xavi Hernández hugging one by one with all the players before entering the locker room made his absolute leadership clear. The intense and emotional greeting of him with Gerard Piqué and Jordi Alba, two of the team captains, also emphasized the unbreakable union to a project, where no one dares to rule anything out.
It is true that andhe LaLiga title continues to be a long way off –“we have to go step by step, first be second and then we’ll look higher”, they say within the staff-, but nobody at the club considers it definitively closed, and much less Joan Laporta. The Blaugrana president, totally unleashed, kept insisting, after the victory, that “LaLiga is possible!”, repeating it over and over again, ad nauseam. In fact, this is how he reminded Xavi, on the pitch at the Bernabéu, while they immortalized the moment, posing the coach and his two most direct assistants, Óscar Hernández and Sergio García, together with the club’s leadership who had traveled to Madrid .
And while Xavi and his staff were feted by the staff, inside the locker room they sang at the top of their lungs, “Oh la la, Oh la la, being from Barça is the greatest thing there is!”, recited in Catalan even by Ousmane Dembélé, who was more participatory than ever -perhaps he will give a further twist to his renewal, thinking of playing one more year with his ‘friend’ Aubameyang-, as well as the anthem of the Barça, which was sung a cappella to the cheers of the audience. And there was even time to celebrate and entertain Dani Alves, who was celebrating his 400th game as a Blaugrana, being the second foreigner with the most appearances, only surpassed by Leo Messi.
Ansu Fati, who is still in Madrid recovering, also appeared in the locker room celebrations. The young striker was able to celebrate this great victory with his teammates, hoping to return to training in two weeks.
And while the players ‘exploded’ with euphoria in the visiting dressing room at the Santiago Bernabéu, some 500 kilometers away, some fifty fans flocked to the Canaletes fountain, the club’s usual venue for titles, to give free rein to their happiness, with Xavi Hernández among the most acclaimed.
The ‘party’ continued on the bus, which took the Blaugrana expedition to the airport, as well as during the return flight. Joan Laporta was especially euphoric, above all because He had been able to make the slogan of his campaign a reality, which opened fire with the famous canvas and his slogan right under the nose of Florentino Pérez: “Looking forward to seeing you again”.
A heavyweight came to pronounce a phrase that Laporta made famous in his first year in office in 2004, when after signing the Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids in the winter market, he stuck out his chest, blurting out: “What a learning! (To learn)”. This phrase, very popular in the Blaugrana alphabet, has been recurrent in the Blaugrana leader throughout his presidency, so it is already installed on the fans’ hard drive.
However, uttered by this heavyweight, it may have gone a bit beyond the original meaning. PIt may have been a gesture of rage for all those who had given Barcelona up for dead, or an act of protest after the team’s extraordinary display of football, or even a wake-up call to those who had underestimated the older players.
Be that as it may, no one could ‘get off the hook’ of the festive atmosphere of the return trip. Not even the head of security of the first team, Rafa Soldier, who this Sunday accompanied the players for the last time. The club has decided to change its security company, terminating its contract with Barcelona. A decision that was not very well received by the locker room, since Soldier was a very loved person in the squad.
The team will now have two days off to be able to enjoy this epic feat to the fullest, although eleven internationals will concentrate on Monday with their national teams. The rest are expected on Wednesday at 6 pm at the Ciutat Esportiva.
And Xavi? Well, always in the background: especially enjoying a moment that he himself describes as “historic”. But for the coach, the most important thing is to see people happy and proud of their team. “That’s priceless, as a culé I can’t ask for more”, recognizes the coach from Egar, who knows that “nothing has been won yet, but there is also everything to be won”.