LALIGA
Barcelona bury time capsule at Camp Nou ahead of move to Montjuïc: what’s inside?
Barça coach Xavi Hernández, departing captain Sergio Busquets and president Joan Laporta were among those to take part in the ceremony.
It’s the end of an era at Camp Nou. On Sunday 28 May, the 2022-23 LaLiga winners played their last match at their iconic home stadium until November 2024 at the earliest. The 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca also marked final appearances for the club for captain Sergio Busquets, who made his Barça debut in 2008, and Jordi Alba, who signed from Valencia in 2012.
Where will Barcelona play in 2023-24?
La Blaugrana will spend the entirety of the 2023-24 campaign (and a bit more) at Estadio Olímpic Lluís Companys in Montjuïc, best known for being the location of the Olympic Park during the 1992 Summer Olympics, with renovation work set to begin in June to turn Camp Nou into Nou Camp Nou (New Camp Nou, just in case that wasn’t clear).
On Monday, Barcelona held a ceremony, to mark the transition from ‘old’ to ‘new’, in which the symbolic first brick of the new stadium was laid and a time capsule was buried (to the right of and behind the goal that’s on the right if you’re watching a game on television).
Laporta: “We’ll come back stronger than ever”
President Joan Laporta played the most prominent role, thanking constructers Limak and investors, both of whom had representatives in attendance, for their trust in the club. He said that the collective objective was to make Nou Camp Nou “the most secure, most commercial, the most exciting and best stadium in the world, at the level of the best football club in the world”.
Laporta continued, “Camp Nou has been our home, our fortess, our temple. It’s the pride of Barcelona fans. We want it to continue like that. The new Spotify Camp Nou is the future and we’ll come back stronger than ever”.
What objects are in the time capsule?
The Barça president was one of several guests to place objects in the capsule. First up was head coach Xavi Hernández, who paid tribute to Busquets and Alba before placing a first-team jersey inside. Busquets himself was next, adding a captain’s armband after he had reminisced about home victories against Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Legendary Barcelona Femení full-back Melanie Serrano, who played over 400 league games for the club, put a ball in the capsule before academy players Jana Muro and Guiu Xuclà threw some boots in.
Laporta was last up, placing a Catalan flag inside followed by a club flag, then closing the capsule before it was lowered into the ground and buried.
For how long? Nobody can be sure but Barcelona will be able to check on it when they return in November 2024 (they hope).