13.05.2009 23:49
Explosion of joy at Mestalla
Jordi Clos
As soon as the game ended, the Barça squad started celebrating the Copa del Rey victory on the pitch. But always ensuring they showed the utmost respect for the exemplary Athletic Club supporters.
In contrast to the ugly scenes of 25 years earlier, the end of this year’s cup final was an
authentic fiesta on the pitch. The Barça players celebrated the first title of the season in unison
with the sector of the pitch allocated for the Barça fans. Athletic Club, devastated by the loss,
were given a huge ovation by their vociferous supporters, who considerably outnumbered the Barça
fans at Mestalla.
00.06: Puyol holds the cup aloft
The longest awaited moment of the night came six minutes past midnight. Carles Puyol
collected the cup from the hands of King Juan Carlos I. After raising the cup in the air, the Barça
captain passed the trophy on to his colleagues.
Fiesta on the pitch
Immediately after, the players gathered for the
traditional team photo and then set off on a champion’s lap of honour, with confetti floating
in the air and the Barça anthem being played over the sound system along with an old favourite for
occasions like these, We are the Champions by Queen, as well as ‘Copa, Lliga i
Champions’, a song that has become popular throughout Catalonia thanks to the Crackòvia
comedy show on TV.
King Guardiola
The players had a special T-shirt prepared for
the night, heralding the ‘25 King of Cups’, and in pure celebratory mood, toyed with
their manager Pep Guardiola in the centre of the park. The manager then went over to hug his
relatives, who were here for the game at Mestalla and was given a standing ovation as he left the
stadium to attend to the press.
‘Fair play’
Neither the Catalan nor Basque supporters left
their seats as the celebrations got under way. There was a touching moment when the Barça players
made their way over to the red and white section of the terraces and applauded the Lions’
supporters for the way they had contributed in such excellent fashion to a memorable final, and
even in the face of defeat, never once stopped supporting their team.