Barcelona president Joan Laporta reveals who will take honorary kick at Camp Nou return

After more than two and a half years of playing home matches at Montjuïc Stadium, FC Barcelona finally returns to their permanent home, the partially renovated Spotify Camp Nou, as the Catalans prepare to face Athletic Club in La Liga. Excitement is mounting among players, staff, and supporters as the stadium prepares to come alive once again for a competitive fixture.

Barça president Joan Laporta shared his enthusiasm ahead of the match in an interview with Catalunya Ràdio. He described the day as historic and expressed his hope that the team will secure a victory to complete the celebrations for the fans.

One of the highlights of the pre-match events will be the honorary kick. As reported by Mundo Deportivo, Laporta revealed that a veteran member of the club will perform the symbolic gesture representing the entire fanbase.

“The honorary kick will be done by a person representative of the entire Barcelona fanbase. It will be a normal and simple honorary kick, but with great symbolic weight. It will be the oldest member who is able to attend, considering their mobility. They will be representative. It’s no secret. It will be a normal, traditional, heartfelt, and simple honorary kick, but with symbolic significance representing the fanbase.”

A great gesture, and one that really holds a lot of sentimental value. Beyond that, however, Laporta remained honest about the fact that the team needs a win in this game to commemorate the occasion and not let it distract them instead:

“We are in a new stadium. There will be a feeling that evokes the past, memorable moments, and we will also experience the present. The pre-match events and the celebration organized to commemorate this occasion… I hope everything goes well. I have the feeling that today we must win. On days of celebration, sometimes there are distractions.”

Lastly, he also provided an update on the stadium’s future and by when fans can expect the Spotify Camp Nou to be fully completed, with the full seat capacity and structure in mind:

“If nothing unforeseen happens and everything goes as planned, we will achieve 1C, which would be the opening of the Gol Nord, before the end of the year, and the stadium’s completion would be by the end of 2026.”

Some great updates from the Barcelona President, and they were certainly needed. As for the team itself, their focus should now be on Athletic Club and making sure they make the fans happy with the performance that they are to give on the field.