Coach Hansi Flick celebrated Barcelona's perfect day when the defending Spanish champions returned to Spotify Camp Nou after a long wait with a resounding 4-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao.
Robert Lewandowski scored his first goal at the newly renovated stadium, while Ferran Torres scored a double and Fermin Lopez added another goal. Blaugrana currently have the same number of points as leaders Real Madrid but have played 1 more match.
This victory marked Barca's first match at Camp Nou since the stadium closed for renovation in May 2023, after more than two years of playing at the city's Olympic Stadium.
"For everyone - players, staff, coaching staff - this is a special match. And for the fans, returning to this stadium is definitely an unbelievable feeling" - Flick shared in the press conference after the match.
"We got 3 points, won 4-0, a not easy win, especially in the first half against Athletic. But in the end, everything went as planned. I am satisfied because the team kept a clean sheet, scored 4 goals and brought home 3 points. It was truly a perfect day for us," the German captain added.
The third floor and roof still need to be completed before Camp Nou officially closes the renovation process, with 45,157 spectators present in Barca's victory over Bilbao.
The club hopes to soon receive a license to increase the number of fans allowed to enter the stadium to more than 60,000 people at the beginning of the new year, before the final capacity reaches 105,000 seats - the largest number in Europe.
For many Barcelona players such as Lopez, Joan Garcia goalkeeper or Pau Cubarsi defender, this is the first time they have played at Camp Nou. This was also Flick's first match leading the Blaugrana right at the newly renovated home ground.
"It's great to get up stairs, get on the pitch and see all the fans. I came here many years ago, when I was fired by a third-tier team.
I thought, just fine, one day I wanted to sit on the coaching bench here. And now, it's like a dream come true. This is an unbelievable story for me," Flick added.
Flick also praised Lewandowski, whose contract with Barca expires next summer, right before turning 38.
"He is the type of player who scores almost 100% when he has a chance. Today, scoring early is extremely important, because it brings the necessary confidence.
For me, in the past 10 years, he has been the best number 9. Age is not a problem. He is still healthy and always hungry to score," he said.
The good news for Barca is that Raphinha has returned after two months out due to injury, coming off the bench in the second half. Meanwhile, Garcia's clean sheet - also his first in two months - marked Blaugrana's first clean sheet since September.
Now, Barcelona will move their focus to the Champions League in the middle of next week, when they visit Chelsea. Frenkie de Jong will return from suspension, while Pedri is also trying to get involved in time after a hamstring injury.
