OPINION: Memories of Barcelona

SNE Columnist Remembers Day at Gillette

July 22, 2008

By Mark Goodman

It has been nearly five years since the seminal moment in my growth as a soccer fan – and, perhaps, the sport’s popularity in this region – took place.

On July 27, 2003, FC Barcelona played Juventus at Gillette Stadium. The Catalans were coming off a (by their standards) dreadful sixth-place finish in La Liga, while the boys from Torino had just won their 26th scudetto – the last one that wasn’t deemed to have been aided by “financial assistance” to referees.

Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho captured Goodman's attention from the very beginning. (Photo source: Freewebs.com).

“We are very excited to host these two world renowned teams at our stadium,” said then-Managing Director of Kraft Soccer, Sunil Gulati on the club’s website. “This match, the CONCACAF Gold Cup games at our stadium…are quickly turning 2003 into the most spectacular international soccer year in New England since the 1994 World Cup.”

The stadium was only about half-full – somewhat of a disappointment, considering Barcelona’s recent sellouts at Giants Stadium. But those who were there – including my brother and myself, both relative neophytes to the world soccer scene – got a good show.

Javier Saviola, considered one of the foremost up-and-coming young strikers at the time, used his speed and finishing ability (where did that go?) to score twice in the first half and stake Barca to a 2-0 halftime lead.

The Catalans appeared cruising to victory until a couple defensive lapses in the closing minutes allowed Juve’s Marco DiVaio and Fabrizio Miccoli to tie things up at 2-all after 90 minutes.

Since we were in America, we needed a winner, so off to penalties we went. Carles Puyol scored the winner for Barcelona in what had to be considered a rather anticlimactic shootout.

Five years later, most of the details are pretty fuzzy (I had to look up Juve’s goal-scorers, and couldn’t remember anything about the shootout, except that Barca won). But I can still remember the presence of Edgar Davids, the Dutch engine in Juve’s midfield, still in the prime of his career and doing something impressive every time he touched the ball.

And we all witnessed the Barcelona debut of a certain funny-looking Brazilian with the feet of magic. Ronaldinho was Barca’s second-choice transfer target that summer, rating behind the David Beckham Publicity Machine in the eyes of Joan Laporta, the Catalan side’s newly elected president.

Still, there was more than a buzz in the crowd when Ronaldinho stood on the sideline at the beginning of the second half, ready to begin his quest as one of Barca’s all-time greats. As one who really only knew of Ronaldinho as a Barca player, it has been a strange sight the last week, seeing him in the red and black of AC Milan.

In the last five years, I’ve been to Barcelona twice, seen the team play twice more in person (and set to do it again Aug. 6 against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium). I’ve bought four different Barca jerseys. I’ve jumped with joy (Barcelona 2-1 Arsenal in the ’06 Champions League final) and nearly cried into my blue and maroon scarf (Manchester United 1-0 Barcelona, April 29).

And it all started on that sunny afternoon at Gillette Stadium.

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