Barcelona (EFE) the Champions League against Wolfsburg (3-2) and became European champions.
After the official team bus parked on Via Laietana, the Barça delegation, with the president Joan Laporta and the manager in charge of the section Xavier Puig in front, walked along Calle Ferran to Plaça Sant Jaume, where they were already waiting. several hundred fans of all ages.
Aragonés: “You are a role model”
The president of Catalonia, Pere Aragonés, received the team at the gates of the Generalitat and accompanied them inside the building, carrying the cup together with the club’s president, Joan Laporta, and the captain Alexia Putellas.
It was time for the official photographs and the speeches, which the fans abroad were able to follow through a giant screen. From the gothic patio of the Generalitat, Aragonés assured that the Barcelona team represents “the best values of the sport”.
“You have achieved milestones that seemed unthinkable. With your talent and effort, you have become a benchmark for many girls who see in you the way to be protagonists in the world of sport. And also of many children who watch a different sport, which includes the whole of society. You are a role model,” she declared.
Laporta took over with a brief speech, in which he thanked the institutional support of the Catalan government and aroused applause abroad with his final harangue: “Citizens and citizens of Catalonia, the female ‘Champions’ are here again . Long live Barça and long live Catalonia!”
Putellas, happy to celebrate the title with the fans
Somewhat hoarse after so much celebration, Alexia Putellas highlighted the confidence of the board of directors and the coaching staff, and also praised the opportunity to celebrate the title with the fans in Plaça Sant Jaume: “It is a tradition that the youngest did not know and that it is done again is very important ”.
Likewise, the most emotional speech was that of the coach Jonatan Giráldez, who became a father last week: “I want to express my gratitude to Catalonia and Barcelona. I am Galician, I have been here since 2012, and it makes me feel very proud that my son is Catalan”.
“Last year we had a very tough season due to the outcome in the Champions League final. But in football there is something much more important than tactics and physical preparation, and that is the personality of all the players. Yesterday’s comeback speaks very well of the mental strength of the team”, he added.
The European champions greet the Barcelona fans
Then came the moment most awaited by the fans, the exit of the players to the balcony of the Generalitat. In batches, the protagonists demonstrated their harmony with the fans, dedicated a few words of thanks to them and dared with the most popular songs of the Barça club.
Immediately afterwards, the delegation crossed the square and went to the City Hall where they were received by the acting mayor, Ada Colau, who expressed the wish that Barcelona host the Women’s Soccer World Cup in 2031: “It is a cause shared by all administrations and clubs. We have the infrastructure, the best players and the best fans”.
“You have become indisputable reference points for thousands of girls who look at you and know that they have no limits, that they can be whatever they want. And boys also need female role models who excite them, to see that the best football can be made by women”, she completed.
The players went out onto the balcony again to address and sing with the fans as a climax to the Barça party.