Barcelona, June 8 (IANS) Over a million people lined the streets of Barcelona on Sunday evening as Spanish club FC Barcelona celebrated the conquest of the fifth Champions League in the club’s history in style.
Saturday saw Barcelona defeat Juventus 3-1 in the final thanks to goals from Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suarez and Neymar in a win which not only made the Catalan club kings of Europe, but also made them the first European club to win a treble of the Champions League plus their domestic league and Cup on two occasions, reports Xinhua.
The celebrations began with an open-hooded bus trip through the streets of the city to the Camp Nou Stadium.
The streets along the route of the bus were lined with fans desperate for a close up view of their heroes, as well as the three trophies.
The bus took several hours before it finally reached its destination.
There on home turf and in front of 98,000 supporters, the players, led by coach Luis Enrique and veteran midfielder Xavi Hernandez, offered the Champions League, Copa del Rey and Primera Liga trophies to the fans.
It was a special occasion for Xavi, who played his last ever game for Barcelona on Saturday and who deservedly was the centre of the applause with everyone in the ground chanting his name.
Coach Luis Enrique had refused to confirm on Saturday whether or not he would remain at the club next year. Barcelona fans chanted for him to stay before players, families and fans enjoying the festivities, which ended in a spectacular fireworks display befitting the club’ s historic season.