The Open Media Day is organised every year at the grounds of each finalists and on Monday it was held in Barcelona, before moving on to Manchester tomorrow.

More than 250 journalists

As well as local Barcelona media, the Open Media Day is being attended by large international agencies (AP, AFP, Reuters and Xinhua) as well as leading TV channels such as BBC, CNN, ESPN, Fox Sports, Fuji TV, Canal + França, Al Jazeera or ITV Sport. Naturally enough, the British press has shown a special interest, with journalists from ‘The Guardian’, ‘The Times’, ‘Daily Mail’, ‘Daily Express’ or ‘The Independent’ attending, as well as the leading European sporting papers ‘L’Équipe’, ‘La Gazzetta dello Sport’ and ‘France Football’.

‘The Economist’ and the Barça model

The Club has also been widely featured in the international media this last weekend. The London based magazine “The Economist” published an article called “The Catalan Kings” praising the management style of the Club and comparing it favourably with other models such as Arsenal’s or Real Madrid’s, with particular emphasis on the importance of the close relationship between the Club and its members.

‘New York Times’ praise for Messi

There were also words of praise for the Club from the other side of the Atlantic, with an article in The New York Times dedicated to Leo Messi, who it called “one of the world’s greatest” and whose goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi final was described by the journalist Jeré Longman as: “a master work of acceleration, strength, balance, agility, vision and virtuosity”. The article goes on to ask if Messi, not yet 24, can already be considered the best player in the history of the game.