The first round of the Barça stadium is divided between the volcano to Figo, the affection to Etoo or the gifts to Ronaldinho. The Uruguayan forward will do it in an empty stadium
It is not the same to return to the Camp Nou with the Madrid shirt or with that of another team. It is not the same to return after an unwanted dismissal as from a surprise operation. It is not the same to return with a stadium in spin than in solitude, with the only noise of the echo and the screams of the footballers. Luis Suárez returns to the Barça stadium with the Barça shirt. So were other rounds of relevant players.
Figo, the mother of all returns
The mother of all laps was Figo’s. In a climate where his march to Madrid in the summer of 2000 was considered a symbol. it caused an eternal digestion cut-off. When he returned to the Camp Nou, the incident recipe book was opened. The first time it was a noise recital with posters included and in the second time there was a stoppage due to the suckling pig and the continuous throwing of objects. In none of those games did he perform at his usual level. The worst reception of all by far.
The screaming annulled Laudrup
Seeing one of the Dream Team’s referents in white was not easy for the Barça stands either. Laudrup dressed in white in the summer of 1994, He returned to the Camp Nou with Valdano on the bench (1-0 against) and was surprised by the hostility he saw in the fans and in some banners that branded him ‘Judas’. He admitted that the environment overwhelmed him and that he did nothing to remind him of the intuitive and unpredictable footballer that he was.
Ibra, return and elimination
In a hazardous career Ibrahimovic only endured one season at Barça (2009-10) with Guardiola, where he arrived to replace Etoo. The Swedish giant returned to the Camp Nou with Milan in the quarterfinals of the 2011-12 season. Barça’s 3-1 victory led them to the semifinals and the Swede did not shine. In the group stage they had also crossed paths, but the forward did not play. The fans dedicated some whistles to him, but they were not primed with him either.
Ronaldo, no hostility
The Brazilian only marveled one season at the Camp Nou, 96-97. His stampedes impressed the Barça fiefdom. He seemed like the player to build an empire on, but his discrepancies with the board led him to Inter. He went to Madrid at the beginning of the 2002-03 campaign, but in that League he did not visit the Camp Nou. He waited for the next one. Madrid won 1-2, Roberto Carlos accompanied him on the scoring account. If he had come back with another shirt he would have been cheered on. It does not generate hostility.
Etoo picked up honey and repeated with sprinklers
He left Barça in the summer of 2009 after having contributed as a key scorer to Guardiola’s first project. His landing at Inter de Mourinho promised devastating emotions. The reunion took place in the group stage of the Champions League. Barça beat Inter 2-0 and Camp Nou applauded the Cameroonian, who did not shine. In that same season, the attacker would repeat his visit in the famous sprinkler match. That time Inter emerged victorious, Mourinho placed Etoo almost on defense and the team went on to the Champions League final.
Ronaldinho, with tribute
The most placid return was that of Ronaldinho, the footballer who returned the smile to the stands of the Camp Nou. The Brazilian did not count for Guardiola and went to Milan. Two years later, in 2010, at the Joan Gamper trophy, the playmaker visited his old team on a day that served to pay tribute to him. The Brazilian posed with the Barça eleven before the affection of the fans. Barça won on penalties after the 1-1 final.
Applause and some whistle for Villa
The forward had been a key piece in Guardiola’s front. In the summer of 2013, Barça let him go to Atlético for a symbolic cost. In August the reunion took place in the Super Cup. After the 1-1 draw in the first leg in Madrid, the Camp Nou hosted the decisive match. The stands gave him applause at the beginning, peppered with some whistles when he was replaced at the end by ‘Cebolla’ Rodríguez. Months later he repeated his trip to win the League on the day of Godín’s goal.
