Josep Maria Bartomeu speaks on potential Camp Nou changes
Josep Maria Bartomeu spoke to Bloomberg about a various amount of topics from Lionel Messi to the potential changes to Barcelona’s famed home stadium.
FC Barcelona has Europe’s largest stadium. The stadium, known as Camp Nou, is iconic and well renowned throughout the world. Among Catalans, the stadium is seen as the symbol of nationalism. Built in 1957, the Camp Nou exists in the heart of every Barcelona fan throughout the globe. It has created wonderful memories for the sport and for the club specifically. However, there could be changes on the way for this iconic landmark.
According to FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu, the club is looking to innovate and change Camp Nou. The surrounding area could be changed using a proposed 500 million euros. To compensate using this money, the club might have to change the name of Camp Nou. It is a name that has been used for a long time and it would feel weird if the name was changed.
Bartomeu showed the club’s desire in London after the Champions League round of 16 clash against Chelsea which ended in 1-1 draw. In an interview with Bloomberg, Bartomeu revealed that the club is in touch with two to three interested parties which could generate around 250 million euros for the club. He also talked about the goals of the club specifically the financial goals for the Blaugrana.
"He said: “Beko was the last [sponsor] that we renewed our agreement with, the next steps are the naming rights to the stadium.“Espai Barça is a total renewal of the stadium, but not only the stadium, also part of the city of Barcelona, because we will have a new arena.“There are two of three companies we are talking to. Our partner will probably bring us half of the investment.“One of the objectives of the club is to earn money every year, of course, because we have to reinvest that money in players and real estate.”"
After that, the Barcelona president showed his delight after extending the contract of Barcelona icons, Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta. Both of these players had contracts that were scheduled to end in January. However, amidst uncertainty both the players penned a long-term contract, deals got done for both of them. Lionel Messi signed a massive five-year contract and Andres Iniesta signed a “lifetime contract” which means he’ll likely end his career as a Blaugrana member.
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"Bartomeu further said:“We want to play good football, practice it in a unique way, and Leo Messi is our key player.“Andres Iniesta is an example. We want him here not just as a player, but as a legend. And I hope it’s the same with Messi. He has a four-year deal, but I don’t think it will be his last deal.”"
Messi and Iniesta re-signing helps Barcelona in the short-term and long-term. Continuing to have these club legends keeps the fans coming back to watch. It is nice to see that both of these amazing talents are going to stay at Barcelona for a while. However, the potential changes to the stadium could become an interesting topic going forward.
Overall, it will be interesting to see how Barcelona fans react to a possible change iconic Camp Nou. It is a stadium which they consider as their home. For the fans, many iconic moments have happened in this famous stadium. From Messi’s solo run as a youngster against Getafe, to Sergi Roberto’s goal against PSG, they’ll want more memories to add to the stadium’s history. No matter what the name is, Barca fans are hoping the team returns to the top of the Spanish football mountain and the European football mountain.