Barcelona set a world record for attendance at a women's match against Real Madrid. (1:45) The Queen bowed before them. The image of Barcelona's Alexia Putellas is 50 feet tall on the outside of Camp Nou, but the actual thing is even taller there. Ballon d'Or winner, the world's best player and the captain of the world's best club, had just scored against Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the European Championship. This grand old place sounded like it might fall down, and that got a cheer as loud as anything heard here all year. Mapi Leon scored an hour earlier. That received a cheer as well. Aitana Bonmat came through the system when it wasn't exactly a system. The experience of this journey was different to that of the veterans. She raised her hands in the air. She said afterwards that she would remember it all her life. It was hard to hear over the noise. They got loud cheers, too, each louder than the last. The biggest came at the end. When the clock hit 88.01, the score said Barcelona 5-2 Real Madrid, and the drums beat as the Mexican waves went round, the answer they had been waiting for. According to the song, if you don't bounce, you're a Madridista. There was a figure: 91,553. There are ninety-one thousand people. In this moment, they all roared, clapped, cheered and shared. All of them broke records. In front of a record crowd, Barcelona defeated Madrid.
- Lawson: Women's Champions League living up to the hype
- Barca women can dominate for decade - Fridolina Rolfo
This was the biggest crowd Camp Nou had seen all season, bigger than the men's C lasico, and by more than 5,000. It was the first time that Barcelona's women had played in front of fans, and it was the first time they had done it in front of fans. The previous record for a women's game in Spain was set when Barcelona visited Atleti in 2019.
Spain? There had never been a women's game played before a bigger crowd. The World Cup final in Los Angeles in 1999 had 1,368 fewer people than the previous record.
All of them did it together. They had gotten there, but it had been close.
When tickets for the game were made available, they sold out quickly.
Fridolina Rolfo said that this is a big statement for women's football.
Quite how big, even they could not imagine. The fact that we can sell out the stadium is unbelievable, something we couldn't even dream of, but it shows what Barcelona is. It was the biggest game in the club's history and something to show the world.
Everyone knew a record was possible once the sales had been confirmed.
You can watch the FC daily on the US version of the network.
- Don't have ESPN? Get instant access
Barcelona are a brilliant football team, one with designs upon being the best Europe has ever seen, the quality of their play is astounding. They are obsessive and hyper-competitive. Their record is barely believable, they won the title six weeks early, scored 138 goals and conceded 7.
They have scored five goals in three of the seven games they have played in the competition. They have played 36 games and won 36. There may be something that makes them the best team in Europe at a time when the men's team are struggling, but this ran deeper, reflecting the mosaic that filled the Camp Nou stands before the game.
This is a club that is very conscious of its community, its identity, and that has developed women's football and built it up, not just appropriated it. This was an event. They wanted to build it into something big. A kind of collective effort was needed to fill the ground.
A little over an hour before kick-off, the team bus turned into the concourse in front of Camp Nou, heading down the hill through thousands of fans. There were flags everywhere. As it made its way through the crowd, palms could be seen hitting the windows. When the bus came in, we could see a lot of people.
The anthem boomed when the teams came out.
There were strikes early on a wet Wednesday evening. People were working. There were 50,000 people at the game. 10 of the men's games have had lower crowds and only one women's game in Spain has ever had more, but a long way off.
This is the thing. It was still filling, and steadily. There was something about that which made the performance better.
The latest highlights and debate the biggest storylines are brought to you by Dan Thomas. You can stream on the U.S. only.
It didn't feel like it mattered at all after a while. It was still loud. Very loud. People as well as players were there. So much life. A party. The connection between stands and pitches was very close. The singing kept going. It quickly felt like a new rivalry. Fans clapped so hard their throats were raw. It all felt like it meant something.
Real Madrid's manager called it a great spectacle, a fiesta for women's football.
It is hard to remember a Camp Nou game where the volume was so high. There were 25 shots and five goals. Madrid certainly played their part and gave the feeling that this was a contest. The goal by Zornoza put Madrid in the lead.
The fans did the same if they saw a show. They chanted "whoever doesn't bounce is Madridista" when Madrid got a penalty. Being a Barcelona fan is the best thing there is, they chanted.
It really was here. This was a lot of fun. Football is supposed to be that way. There was a wave. A stadium full of lights, thousands of phones raised, torches on. The mosaic looked better than it did when it was first put up. As the final minutes passed joyously, another song went round: "Where are you?" Real Madrid's president wasn't there, but lots and lots of people were, and they were making a night of it.
Even if there weren't enough of them, this was some night. They wanted to know. There was something about the wait for the attendance figure that made it feel even more significant. They erupted when they found out that there were enough of them, that they had done it, and that every last one of them a record holder.
The players fell to their knees and the fans got to their feet. They received a standing applause. They were not going anywhere, so it would have done. Graham Hansen said that the supporters weren't leaving. They are staying to celebrate with us. 91,000 Barcelona fans have been singing all game and it isn't just 91,000 fans.
The players handed the drums to her, and she said that she would remember this all her life. Aitana said that it was better to stay there and take it all in. She remembered late night training sessions with poor facilities, a game that was far from professional, but still not far enough in the past. This was a beginning and an arrival. This showed that it could be done.
It is not just 91,000 people having a party, it is 91,000 people having a party. You want to do it again if you are having fun. This is a game change.
The Queen called it super-magical. Everyone take a bow.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
