NIKETOWN Chicago Hosts FC Barcelona

On Friday afternoon, the historic Catalan club FC Barcelona visited NIKETOWN Chicago and were greeted by a sea of fans in red and blue. Hours before the squad arrived, Barca fans packed themselves into the main floor around the stage. The energy in the room was fantastic – football fans were eagerly waiting to see some of today’s biggest stars, while passionately chanting, “Barca, Barca, Barca!”

The time finally came when the club roster took the stage and they didn’t disappoint. Over twenty of Barcelona’s first team and reserves were waving to the crowd – on U.S. soil! Imagine walking into NIKETOWN, seeing a graphic of your heroes Bojan, Iniesta, Puyol, Marquez and Abidal, looking across the room and seeing them in person. NIKETOWN Chicago went ballistic.

Captains Carlos Puyol and Rafael Marquez, who the crowd referred to as Mr. Barcelona, were the first to speak. They reminded Chicago’s Barca followers that FCB is more than a club, with a strong desire to contribute back to the local community. Barcelona then made a generous donation to the Urban Initiatives non-profit program, which will help provide local children and schools with a better future, education and healthy environment. The donation was followed by a Q&A session, where the young members of Urban Initiatives each had a chance to ask these world-class players a question or two.

An hour later, it was time for the team to head off for a training session and they had to say goodbye. The crowd cheered them off and the memorable experience of seeing these La Liga all-stars up close and personal made a lasting impression on everyone who was there. Chicago football fans walked away with a great FC Barcelona encounter.