BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
BARCELONA WIN 5-1 ON AGGREGATE
Growing up in India, it seemed obvious I’d be swept up in the cricket frenzy that has always enveloped our nation. But, in 2008, I’d started playing and watching football and fell in love with the sport. My grandmother always had first right of refusal on the bigger TV in our living room, so I’d settle for the tiny box in one of the bedrooms. You needed to smack it every ten minutes to keep the picture intact. It was on that screen that I fell in love with the jinks of Ronaldinho, the feints of Lionel Messi and the elegance of Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández.
So, when a friend of mine messaged me on a random Thursday in 2018 saying that we should try to plan a trip to watch Barcelona the next year, I jumped at the chance. I’d been saving money for such an occasion. We frantically began planning the logistics, and the week leading up to our flight was the giddiest we’d ever felt. It had turned from a football-focused trip to a full-blown adventure.
We went skydiving in Manresa, hiked in the Montserrat mountain range and even managed to watch Barça play a La Liga game. When we got to the Camp Nou for the Lyon fixture, we realised it was almost at capacity. We were sitting close to one of the corner flags, and after Messi scored his second goal of the night, he ran straight to us to celebrate. Even after he was done, as he walked towards the centre circle, he turned around again and gave us a few more fist pumps – I felt like I was going to faint.
Chanting with over 92,000 people as a flurry of goals hit the net gave me an adrenaline rush like never before. And bear in mind that I’d jumped out of a plane just four days previously. After full time, we walked out of the stadium touching the pillars holding up the concourse as if we were devotees on a holy pilgrimage. The year after, Covid-19 hit, Messi eventually left the club and plenty more went wrong. So we still look back on it all with immense relief that we took the leap when we did. My friend and I also became much closer off the back of it, and we’ll always have these memories to cherish.
