The FC Barcelona Supporters Page recently invited me for a feature, which was an honour and quite a lot of fun. This gave me a great opportunity to look back at my passion for Barca over the years – hope you enjoy it:
– Where are you from?
I was born in Barcelona, moved to London after finishing University, stayed 16 years there and have been living in Qatar for the last two years.
– What do you do for a living?
I co-host the Barça talkshow TheBarcelonaPodcast.com and also write opinion columns for BarcaBlog.com. My work has been featured in ESPN, The Guardian, The Front 3 Podcast and many other media outlets.
– When did you become a Barça fan?
As soon as I was born! My first real memory was Bakero’s last-minute winner in Kaiserlautern back in the 1991 Champions League. I was already playing football at the time, and the fact that my team wore the Barca colours was that extra bit of motivation I needed at the time.
– Have you ever been to Barcelona or Camp Nou? If you have, how was the experience?
I have attended hundreds of games at the Camp Nou, and it honestly is the best place on Earth. My first match was a 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao back in 1992, with Bakero and Stoichkov scoring for the Blaugrana. In later years, the team has been winning more consistently (which helps!) and the main attraction has been watching Messi live – something we should enjoy every second of, and never take for granted as it won’t last forever.
– What does Barça mean to you?
Barça is a uniting force that drives me back to my country of birth, a constant reference of pride, an inexplicable feeling. I grew up supporting Barça and I am proud to be promoting the club’s philosophy within my family, friends, and our thousands of listeners / readers around the world.
– Football is the most important thing in your life? If yes, explain your passion!
Football is important, Barça is even more important. Having said that, my beautiful young family (all of which support Barça, and rightly so!) always come first.
– What are your other passions?
Sharing my love for Barça and views about the club with our audience, whether that be via the podcast or my opinion columns. Other than that, I enjoy travelling, learning about new cultures and reading about how leaders in the past changed the world to make it a better place.
– Have Barça helped you recover from hard times? If yes, could you explain?
Barça have always been there for me, through good and not-so-good times. However difficult a situation may be, knowing that there will always be a Barça match around the corner to take my mind off day-to-day routines and struggles is always a positive.
– When you are feeling down, does Barça lift you up? Can you remember an example?
Yes, and also the other way round when they lose! An example? Sergi Roberto’s winner against PSG back in 2017 was an insane moment of brilliance, but the team then failed to make it count by not lifting the Champions League a few weeks later. I was not impressed about that but, as I always say, the best Culers are those who are prepared to enjoy the good times but also support when things turn ugly.
– What’s your best memory as a Barça Supporter?
Witnessing Ronaldinho’s first goal live at the Camp Nou, back in 2003. The game itself was an insanely late kickoff (midnight!) and the stadium erupted with joy, all at once. It was very special as we all felt he was a magical player capable of changing our club’s destiny. Celebrating the win from to 2:00am in the streets of Barcelona after the game was also memorable, but I will keep details of that story as a close secret!
– What’s your worst memory as a Barça supporter?
Losing the Champions League final to Milan, 4-0, back in 1994. We were favourites, had a legendary team, the most inspirational manager in our history in Johan Cruyff and had won La Liga just a couple of weeks beforehand. We went on to be humiliated by a much more focused opponent, and deservedly so. Bad times.
– What is the craziest thing that you’ve done for Barça?
Too many to list! Back in 2011, I watched the Champions League final in a pub in Central London, surrounded by hundreds of Manchester United fans. I was not quiet when celebrating goals either, and things got a bit tense. I was not too popular with the locals throughout the game, was fully drenched in beer by the end of it, but celebrating our victory by the Thames was worth every second.
– How is it being a culer in your country? How are your friends who support Madrid?
Supporting Barça in Qatar is good, but the Penya here no longer exists, I understand. Games cans sometimes kickoff very late at night, which doesn’t help. Luckily, however, I have a great community of listeners of The Barcelona Podcast and I communicate with them before, during and after matches.
As for friends who support Madrid: I don’t have many, to be honest, and those who do are just deluded. I mean, they would have been much wiser to support Barça instead, but nobody is perfect, I guess.
– Any great story related to Barça that you want to share with us?
Not a story as such, but a fun fact: My brother played for the Barça U-13s in the late 1990s, was a teammate of Andres Iniesta and often shared a Barça taxi (which took them to mid-week training) with Cesc Fabregas. It was a great experience for him as a player, and for us all as a family.
– Who is your favorite player and why?
It is hard not to have Messi as a favourite player, as he is clearly the best, most influential player in our history. But I am also hugely fond of Iniesta, Puyol and Hristo Stoichkov.
– What are your personal expectations for 2020?
Personally, I expect our audience at TheBarcelonaPodcast.com to continue to increase at an even quicker rate. We have been recording our podcast for three years now, have interviewed countless Barça-related professionals (including players) and have a solid, faithful audience in the thousands for every show. Our main target is to double our podcast audience in the next 12 months, which we have done every year since we starting broadcasting back in 2017, and continue sharing our views and love for the club with even more passionate Culers around the world.
– What are your Barça expectations for 2020?
We have a good enough squad and manager to win La Liga, and we are definitely on track to do so. The first match after the pandemic, away in Mallorca, was also encouraging. If we can win La Liga and key players reach their peak in terms of mental and physical fitness, that would be a huge boost of confidence which could then drive us towards the Champions League title in August. Let’s be optimistic and ambitious!
