On This Day – 24th September
It was on this day back in 1957 the FC Barcelona opened their Nou Camp home for the first time.
Barca played against a selection of players from Warsaw in Poland in the first game to be played at the new stadium and won the match 4-2. Eulogio Martinez got the honour of scoring the first goal.
Construction on the Nou Camp started on the 28th March 1954 and it was ready three and a half years later. Perhaps those involved in the construction of the New Wembley stadium should have taken a few tips from this back at the start of the millennium!
The move to the Nou Camp in 1957 brought almost immediate success to the club, as within three years they had won LaLiga twice. The club have since won multiple honours and boasted an array of superstar players including Johan Cruyff, Romario, Luis Figo and Lionel Messi.
120,000 fans crammed into the Nou Camp in the European Cup Quarter Final against holders Juventus in 1986 to create the record attendance. This record is most likely never to be broken as the current capacity is 99,354, making it the largest stadium in Europe.
It is the 12th biggest sporting arena in the world and there are only three football stadiums in the world larger. The Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in North Korea, AT & T Stadium in USA and the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia hold more fans and also host football.
Over the years, many illustrious matches have taken place at the stadium. The 1989 European Cup Final and 1999 Champions League Final as well as matches in the 1982 World Cup and 1992 Olympic Games were played there.
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