The night we made history with Barcelona

I still get excited when I hear Joaquim Maria Puyal’s voice. I think I will never stop feeling how my skin bristles after scoring a goal that I will never forget. My time at Barcelona is indelible, but that night of March 12, 1997 still intact in my memory. Never again experienced a similar situation as a footballer: we reversed the Copa del Rey quarterfinal tie against Atlético Madrid, scored the goal of the final victory by 5-4 and, since then, the Barça fans have shown me their love and I appreciate when you see me.

I still think that second half against the Atlantic was Histros. As they read. Why? Obviously, more important matches have been played at the Camp Nou, but I think that in this particular case it deserves a place in posterity due to the environment on the grass and the stands, for the communion of the effort of the players with the emotion of the fans and, above all, the end result.

Look, we started the restart losing by 1-3, and we got to fit a 2-4. Any other team will have given up. We do not. We decided to light the stands and we did it: all of us, players and fans, believe that we can turn the scoreboard, that it was possible, that it was not a miracle. It all started when the adored Bobby Robson He said a few words to us in the locker room during the break that encouraged us, and already in the tunnel, when we went out to play again, you can see in the look that we feel very strong and excited to reverse the result. That sensation spread to the public and the rest is known to everyone.

I scored the winning goal, yes, but the credit belongs to my colleagues and followers. That magic is not found on a daily basis, sometimes it does not even appear. I was lucky to live that experience, and that is why it is somewhat very special to me. I am very proud of that moment, that celebration, that euphoria. In addition, we ended up getting that Copa del Rey in a season in which we only needed to win the League after getting the rest of the titles we played.

Now, shortly after celebrating a Barcelona-Atlético At Camp Nou, the memory intensifies, although the feeling will be different. The fans, the heat of the stands and the communication with the footballers for a greater cause will be missing. Despite everything, it is one of the best games that can be seen, no matter when or in what competition. Two well differentiated styles, two different ways of seeing football, but an encounter in which winning is a necessary injection of morale for a Bara that does not give up and must insistently seek the leadership of LaLiga, especially after the last results, and an Attician who hastens his last options for the title.