Eight presidents, dozens of coaches, hundreds of players, thousands of games and millions of spectators later, the Palau it still stands despite the fact that it already had an expiration date and will celebrate this Saturday the 50th anniversary of its inauguration, on October 23, 1971, with the aim of being that magical ‘mousetrap’ so special for Barça until the last of its days .
Nothing like the current Palau represents the sports vocation of the FC Barcelona, home of unforgettable deeds of basketball, handball, roller hockey or futsal, to mention the current professional sections of the club that so well dress the main course of the club, the football team.
The Palau of the future will have the challenge of inheriting over the years the magic that the Palau has given off all its life, fortress in so many victories and titles of the Barça, protagonist of comebacks that will last forever in memory thanks to the special connection with the stands. But if the Palau is magical, it is above all because of the magicians who have paraded along its track for 50 years.
“When they build the new Palau, they would have to take a glass boat, put some air from this Palau and transport it to the other one because magic exists”
MD gathered four of themAudie Norris, Aitor Egurrola, Jordi Torras and David barrufet) to celebrate the anniversary as representatives of so many colleagues whose footprint will be indelible.
“I have always said that when they build the new Palau, they would have to take a glass boat, put some air from this Palau and transport it to the other one because magic exists,” says Barrufet. “The pressure of playing here is felt by the rivals and it has made us win many games and titles. It is an impressive sensation, when you play you notice a special vibration. The sound is brutal, “says the former goalkeeper of the ‘Dream Team’.
Audie Norris, Aitor Egurrola, Jordi Torras and David Barrufet, four of the Palau’s Barça magicians
“Apart from lifting the trophy of Champions as captain in front of your audience, the moment where the magic is most demonstrated was the comeback against him Veszprem. We had lost by five in the first leg and with 15 minutes to go we lost by five, but the public led us to make the dream possible: tracing 10 goals in 10 minutes was outrageous, and that is the magic of the Palau, where the impossible becomes a reality “, Explain ‘Barru’ on those quarterfinals of 1998, where the 32-27 of the Palau neutralized the 33-28 against the first leg.
“The whole history of Barça is on this track. Why do they love me so much? For being myself, I was very close. The public and the club felt that I have always left my blood on the track for them”
“The Palau has been like my second home. There have been seasons that I spent more time here than at home. There have been very beautiful moments, of titles, also of suffering and injuries, but overall it has been wonderful to experience the magic of the Palau ”, says David.
“Wow man, I have a lot of memories!” Exclaims Audie Norris excitedly. “The fans, the coaches, even smoking on the bench, my teammates. The titles we have won here were fantastic. Chicho Sibilio, From the cross, Manolo Flores placeholder image, And, Nacho Solozabal, Trumbo, Andres Jimenez… The whole history of Barça is on this track, and I believe that the public, the current players and everyone feel this history of Barça and have to continue with this magic today ”, he points out.
“The Palau evokes in me pride, satisfaction, passion, noise and, above all, victories. It has always been a fortress for everyone”
“The first year, when I arrived here and Epi, Nacho and Trumbo told me the history of Barça, I changed my mentality and at that moment I put the shield on my chest forever,” adds Norris.
How did you manage to be one of the players most loved by the Catalans? “Being myself, I haven’t done anything special. The public and the club felt that I have always left my blood on the court for them. I guess that’s it. He always had time to talk to fans after games. I was very close, ”ditch Audie.
Audie Norris, sitting on the steps of the Palau
“The Palau evokes in me pride, satisfaction, passion, noise and, above all, victories. It has always been a fortress for all the sections and in the end it is a pride to be able to experience the magic of the Palau ”, Tercia Egurrola.
“That magic is the final push you need to get to a ball or to hit it harder. It is a cliché but, when you play at the Palau with that atmosphere that is created in the big events especially, in the end you play with one more player in the team ”, says Aitor.
“The growth has been spectacular. ‘Oysters, the Palau roars with futsal!’, I said to myself when the first league was won here”
“Futsal is the youngest section and over the years the growth has been spectacular, from playing in my first season before 200 people to doing it with almost 6,000 in the second. It is a radical and very good change, ”says Torras.
“My best memory? When we ascended to Honor Division Against Lugo it was spectacular and the first League that was won here against Caja Segovia. I had not seen the Palau as full as that day, it was something unusual, a moment to say: ‘Oh yeah, the Palau roars with futsal!’ It was a spectacular day ”, concludes Torras.
The Barça celebrates today the institutional act
Barça will celebrate this Saturday the institutional act to commemorate this 50th anniversary, first privately in the box (10:45 am) and then in the Auditorium with the press (11:45 am). With Joan Laporta at the helm, there will be a wide representation of all levels of the club and the presence of relatives of the former president Agustín Montal and the architects Francesc Cavaller and Josep Soteras.