The Catalan sky hung heavy, rain threatened to dampen the huge occasion, crushing traffic too. Ten minutes to kick-off between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Uefa Women’s Champions League quarter-final second leg and the previous talk of a 90,000-plus crowd seemed fanciful.
There were empty seats everywhere, football’s biggest football ground was nowhere near full as Barca’s anthem blared out.
By the time Barcelona, easily the pre-eminent force in female football, took the lead after eight minutes, thousands more seats had been occupied and a world-record crowd for a women’s game was becoming a reality.
The crowd was very different from that which normally watches Barca’s men, except the usual vocal fans were there behind the north goal with their flags and songs. It felt like an important game rather than a tourist festival.
“And it’s very different to the 6,000 who normally watch Barça’s women team at the Johan Cruyff stadium,” opined Juanpi, who was in the next seat behind the south goal. Younger, more female and lots of families taking advantage of tickets which cost €3.50 plus a €2.50 booking fee. It sold out in four days, mostly to local people, but there’s always a risk that with tickets so cheap, those people will not show.
Huge one-off crowds have been to other women’s games when the team have played in their club’s main stadium, with critics dismissing them as a free-for-all. Having to pay for a ticket shows some value.
I was part of that new demographic, since I took my daughters, aged 7 and 11. They’re getting into football because their friends are into it.
They collect football stickers, follow men’s football and were so excited to visit a stadium, to sing the songs they learn at school, to be part of a giant mosaic and Mexican wave. It was beautiful to watch the game through their wide, uncynical eyes and answer their innocent questions.
“Where is she going? Is she going home to eat?”
“No, she’s a substitute. You’re allowed to change players.”
They had been to Camp Nou before, but before was pre-Covid, an age ago in a child’s life.
“Is Messi a girl?” the youngest one had asked on her previous visit. Now she opines that “Messi left for PSG for money.” It’s about Gavi and Pedri and Xavi currently.
There were street artists, face-painting stalls and music bands – all cheering up the mood and trying to indoctrinate kids into a lifelong support of FC Barcelona. My pushback against that idea and that children should support the team of their father wasn’t effective.
Barcelona 4 Real Madrid 0 - player ratings
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REAL MADRID PLAYER RATINGS: Thibaut Courtois – 5. A bad night at the office as Courtois shipped four goals in one of Real Madrid’s worst classicos for some time. Could have been much worse without him. AP -
Dani Carvajal – 2. A poor display and as a result was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti at halftime. EPA -
Eder Militao 4 – Started brightly but got worse as the game went on with a collection of errors on and off the ball. Reuters -
David Alaba – 5. Arguably his worst performance this season. Nervy at times and was at fault for more than one goal. EPA -
Nacho – 4. Struggled to cope with Ousmane Dembele on a defensive night to forget for Nacho. Getty Images -
Luka Modric – 5. Had to drop too deep just to get touches of the ball. Not as influential as he would've liked. AFP -
Casemiro – 5. Although he got a couple of defensive stops, he was too poor in possession as the anchor in midfield. EPA -
Toni Kroos – 4. Struggled to get into the game and was chasing Barcelona shadows. Subbed at halftime. AP -
Federico Valverde – 6. Best of the worst. Nearly scored and assisted a couple of goals. Never stopped trying. AP -
Vinicius Jr – 5. Started well but faded quickly. Had a chance to score but took a dive instead for absolutely no reason. Getty Images -
Rodrygo – 4. Poor decision making and minimal contribution in both attack and defence. Overwhelmed by the occasion. AFP -
SUBS: Eduardo Camavinga (Kroos 46’) – 6. Didn't offer anything different to Toni Kroos, often committing cheap fouls that allowed Barcelona to slow down the play. Needed to do more defensively. AFP -
Mariano Diaz (Carvajal 47) – 5. Fairly anonymous despite coming on a the break, Real Madrid's attack just couldn't get anything going as Xavi Hernandez' side took control of the game. AFP -
Lucas Vazquez (Nacho 68) – 6. Took care of the ball and tried to get something going but it was a big ask with the game already heavily in Barcelona's favour. AFP -
BARCELONA PLAYER RATINGS: Marc-Andre Ter Stegen – 7. Played the ball out short almost all the time. Sixth minutes save from Valverde. Stopped Vinicius in a rare Madrid attack as Barca ended Madrid’s run of five consecutive clasico wins. His opposite was far busier, but good save on 79. EPA -
Ronald Araujo – 9. Scored the second after 37 minutes, a header. Full of confidence, full of energy. He tried to knock the ball around an opponent on the wing at one, then came centrally to end a Madrid attack. Getty Images -
Gerard Pique – 8. Blocked a 19th minute Carvajal shot. Started the move which led to the opener. His long ball to Torres set up the fourth. Jeered by home fans. Loved it as his side were 4-0 up after 51 minutes. EPA -
Eric Garcia – 8. Knocked the ball forward, usually to Pedri. Stopped Valverde in a rare Madrid attack after they’d gone 4-0 down. Growing in confidence. AP -
Jordi Alba – 8. Smashed in a challenge in the opening seconds. Crossed for Aubameyang on 58 when Barca should have made it 5-0. Booked for a challenge on Vinicius – for which he apologised. More touches than any player on the pitch. AFP -
Sergio Busquets – 9. Progressive start – as it was for his team. Booked for a pull on Militao. Stopped Vinicius in a 60th minute attack. Excellent overall from the veteran. “We wanted to dominate and we could have scored many more goals,” he said. “We’ve been having lots more of the ball and control of the games with our coach”. Reuters -
Pedri – 9. So skilful and chipped a ball forward over the defenders to Torres for his goal. Controlled the pace of the game from the middle. He’s 19. Spectacular. EPA -
Frenkie De Jong – 8. Booked for a 25th minute foul on Kroos. Set up Aubameyang, played a part in Pedri’s goal, too. Some beautiful passing movements. Getty Images -
Ousmane Dembele – 9. Right in a high press and lost possession to Kroos to set up a 7th minute attack. Drew a save from Courtois on 13. Perfect cross for Aubameyang for the opener. And the perfect corner for the second goal. Involved in the third, too. Started to lose the ball more in the second half and was brought off after 79. EPA -
Ferran Torres – 8. Hit the ball high and over in the first attack of the game. Beat Carvajal to set up Aubameyang. Curled a 17th minute shot just wide. Scored the third straight after half time, sweeping the ball in against a side who looked lost. Set up the fourth after 51 minutes. Powerful shot that was saved by the excellent Courtois on 64. Six shots in his best Barca game. AFP -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 9. First clasico and what a night for him. Forced a save from Courtois on 13. Put Barça ahead on 29, heading in Dembele’s cross. Almost made it two, set up the third, then scored the fourth. One of the greatest nights of his life. Should have made it 5-0 on 58. AP -
SUBS: Gavi (De Jong 70’) – 7. Neat and cool headed, which is what his boss Xavi demanded. Some nice skills. AFP -
Memphis Depay (Aubameyang 70’) – 7. Straight into the attack and forced a save from Courtois on 78. EPA -
Adama Traore (Dembele 80’) – 7. Went right with instruction not to lose the ball as Dembele was doing. Disciplined. AFP -
Nico Gonzalez (Pedri 85’) – N/A. Two fouls with his first two touches. Then a third foul with his fourth touch. Getty Images -
Dani Alaves (Alba 85’) – N/A. AP
They were given bracelets when we bought popcorn. “To mark this historic occasion,” explained the girl as she handed over the change.
It was great to see children at a real match, away from the dopamine hits of their screens and apps, away from lockdowns and behind-closed-doors games. Affordable, too. The cheapest tickets in the worst seats for non-members to see Barca in a league game cost €49. Youngsters struggle to afford that so they end up watching in bars and the culture of going to the stadiums is alien to them. Barca thus end up with an ageing match-going demographic, supplemented by wealthy tourists who can afford their extortionate ticket prices.
But €6 a ticket is not expensive and a 18.45 kick-off time was far more agreeable than most Barca start times – on Sunday it’s a 21.00 start against Sevilla. Kids would be lucky to get home before midnight and with school the next day, that’s not happening.
On Wednesday, it helped that the opponents were Real Madrid, Barca’s eternal enemy.
But while Real Madrid’s men will win La Liga, Barca women dominate all. They pay smaller wages than PSG (who had 27,000 on Wednesday, 9,000 more than their previous highest attendance for a women’s game, Lyon and Chelsea, but they have the advantage that the players have all come through a youth system playing a set style since they were children.
Eight of Barca’s women squad are Catalan, which helps in a stadium where fans have long sung for Catalunya, but they bring in premium international talent too. Like the men's team, then.
It helped too that the game was superb. Madrid equalised and then went ahead. The effect of 91,533 people being silenced was something to hear. The goals were incredible, proper screamers from afar. I don’t know enough to judge the general standard as I don’t watch much women’s football.
“This Barca could play fourth division men’s football in Spain,” averred Juanpi, who has played fourth division football and who follows the women’s game very closely. But since they’ll never play in a men’s league it doesn’t matter.
What matters is that the women’s game is growing, but it still has much to do. Average league crowds might be 6,000 for a Barca team who win every week, but crowds of three figures for league games are not uncommon in Spain, while in England the leading teams of Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal attract regular crowds of 2-3,000.
“Dad, can we go again?” the kids asked as we walked along Traversera de los Corts following a stunning Barca fightback and 5-2 win. With Barcelona in the semi-final and games against Arsenal or Wolfsburg, why not?
