Dream Team goalkeeper, Andoni Zubizarreta, and the very heart of the ‘Quinta del Buitre’, Emilio Butragueño, cannot speak highly enough of the football of the current FC Barcelona team.
Andoni Zubizarreta and Emilio Butragueño were here for the 50th anniversary of the Barça Veterans
Association. The two former players spoke to Barça TV and www.fcbarcelona.cat about their
admiration for Barça. Emilio Butragueño told us: “Everybody who loves football is very happy
that there’s a team that plays like FC Barcelona. It’s a very brave style, with
initiative and risk. They want to attack permanently and having the ball is risky but for the
moment progress is impeccable”.
Ideal situation
Andoni Zubizarreta believes that Barça is in an enviable position: “The
situation in which FC Barcelona finds itself is where everyone would like to be in at this stage of
the season. Leaders in the league, in May they’re in a Spanish Cup Final and playing the
quarterfinals of the Champions League. We know that football can change from one day to another but
I think that all the work Barça has done is looking really good and the fruits will arrive”.
The Bayern tie
The former Barça keeper also commented on the CL quarterfinal: “It’s a draw to be
enjoyed between two great teams. Both Barça and Bayern have the players and individual resources to
go through”.
Barça favourites
For his part, Emilio Butragueño has no doubt at all that if Barça play as they know how they
will have no difficulty in going through to the semi-finals: “If Barça play as well as they
can, they’ll go through without doubt. Bayern’s possibilities depend on Barça playing
below their standard. FC Barcelona is coming into a phase when all the titles will be decided and a
lot of matches have to be played. The Champions League is a great challenge. Winning it puts you on
a higher level”.
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Their playing careers
Andoni Zubizarreta and Emilio Butragueño never played together for the same team. The ‘Quinta
del Buitre’ of Real Madrid disappeared just as the Dream Team, with Zubizarreta in goal,
began to establish itself. Zubizarreta played for Bilbao, Barça and Valencia while Butragueño spent
his career with Real Madrid. The match to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Barça Veterans
Association brought together a European team for the first time.