Marcus Rashford's dream of playing at Camp Nou is about to come true after Barcelona confirmed they are about to return to this iconic stadium.
The Manchester United star's loan move to the Spanish giants was one of the moves the English striker actively pursued last summer. Rashford has even publicly expressed his desire to make a permanent transfer to Catalania.
Rashford's time in Spain has been memorable, despite him not being able to feature at the club's legendary home ground due to a £1.3 billion renovation project. Barcelona have not played at Camp Nou since 2023 and have temporarily moved to the Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium to host matches.
However, Blaugrana are preparing for a return to their former home and have confirmed they will return to Camp Nou this weekend, when they host Athletic Bilbao.
The club said that the home stadium permit has been approved, allowing more than 45,000 fans to enter the stadium.
"FC Barcelona would like to announce that the match of round 13 of La Liga, against Athletic Club, scheduled to take place on Saturday, November 22 at 4:15 p.m., will officially be held at Spotify Camp Nou.
This decision was made after receiving the first land use license for phase 1B, allowing the capacity to increase to 45,401 audiences. This license covers the entire Lateral region and adds to the previous license of phase 1A, including Tribune and South Goal.
The club is continuing to implement phase 1C to ensure the resumption of operations in the northern stands, while completing all requirements for operations, security and comfort for members as well as fans" - quoted from Barcelona's announcement.
Rashford admitted that playing at Barcelona's iconic stadium is a dream he has always cherished. And that aspiration came true earlier this week in the opening training session ahead of the match against Bilbao.
"It felt great. This is a beautiful stadium, and when it is full, the atmosphere will definitely be unbelievable. Camp Nou has always been one of my favorite arenas, where I always wanted to play.
But wearing the Barcelona shirt and playing football here would be a completely different experience. I am very excited to play and will enjoy every moment" - the English striker shared.
The stadium redevelopment is expected to be completed in 2027, when Camp Nou's capacity will be increased to 105,000 people, becoming the fifth largest stadium in the world.
Regarding the plan for this season, Barcelona has sent a proposal to UEFA to move the location for the remaining home matches in the Champions League at Camp Nou.
Rashford has led Barca's attack this season with 15 goals and assists after 16 matches in all competitions. He helped the team get close to Real Madrid with a gap of only 3 points in La Liga.
