Camp Nou

Camp Nou has been the home for Barcelona ever since it was inaugurated on the 24th of September in 1957, with a friendly between Barcelona and a selection of Warsaw, with the final score of 4-2. Eulogio Martinez marked the first goal. Its construction was of 288 million pesetas in 1957. Considered as one of the greatest stadiums to ever visit, it has the seating capacity for 98,787 people.

The Camp Nou dimensions are 55,000 square meters of surface, with 48 meters of height, 250 in height by 220 of width. The playground measures 107x72m. The first prominent reconstruction of the main stadium took place in the early 80's when the third circle of the stand was added. This allowed the capacity to be enlarged, and was able to seat 120 000 spectators for the 1982 World Cup. 85,000 spectators witnessed the inauguration of that world cup when Belgium upset the title holder Argentina. It also was a venue for the football matches in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics along with the gold medal game in which Spain defeated Poland 3-2 to claim the gold medal.

The stadium has also hosted European Finals such as the Cup Winners Cup Final 1971-72 between Glasgow Rangers and Dynamo Moscow (May 24, 1972), won by the Scottish team 3-2; European Cup Finals 1988-89 between Milan and Steaua Bucharest (May 24, 1989) which Milan won. 4-0; and one of the most unforgettable games ever, the Champions League Final 1998-99 between Manchester United and Bayern Munich (May 26, 1999), won Manchester United 2-1 in one of the greatest comebacks in sports history.

However, Barcelona have had the honor of being the host of a major European Final and having participated in it as well. That was the 1981-82 Cup Winners Cup Final between FC Barcelona and Standard Liege (May 12, 1982). 100,000 spectators went wild as Barça won their second Cup Winners Cup with a final score of 2-1 with goals from Simonsen and Quini.

Along with being known as the home of Barça, The Camp Nou has hosted many events such as musical concerts by Bruce Springsteen, Julio Iglesias and the Three Tenors (Josep Carreras, Plácido Domingo and Luciano Pavarotti) as well. However, the most important event had to be on November 17, 1982, when FC Barcelona was honored by the visit of Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II performed a solemn mass at the Camp Nou, under heavy rain, before 120.000 believers. His Holiness was presented with membership card from president Josep Lluís Núñez. His Holiness membership number is 108,000.