Azulgrana RoundUp, Week 22

Zubizarreta during a team trip to Lisbon. PHOTO: MIGUEL RUIZ-FCB.
President Sandro Rosell talks about why FC Barcelona has been so successful in recent years, and Andoni Zubizarreta declares that the team has regained its confidence

President Rosell: “For me, we’re more than a club because we represent the roots, history and values of the Catalan people”

President Sandro Rosell sat down with Sic Notícias during his trip to Israel to talk about the biggest factors behind the Club’s success in recent years, the interview was later pick up by Catalan daily, Sport.

President Rosell explained that Barça’s success comes from “a mix of two things. The first is professional development. Which means we created our own style, we invested in our youth system – La Masia – for 33 years […] Not too long ago 11 players featured in an official match and they were all youth system players that were brought up and created in La Masia. This is something that Barcelonismo has always wanted, and it came true this year. You have to believe in your idea, and you have to invest in it.”

He added: “The second is the emotional aspect. This is a bit more difficult to explain, but it’s very important to us. You have to believe that Barça are more than a club, you have to believe that we are a family. You have to believe that we’re a community of people in Barcelona, in Spanish state and throughout the whole world. This allows us to be a bit different from other clubs.

For me, we’re more than a club because we represent the roots, history and values of the Catalan people … it’s a very personal interpretation,” said the president.

• We’ve regained our confidence

“We’ve regained our confidence,” said Andoni Zubizarreta after the match against Sevilla on Saturday night, according to Mundo Deportivo. “We showed our character against a rival that took the lead. Sevilla are not an easy team to beat.” FC Barcelona’s football director went on to talk about Barça’s recent defeat to AC Milan. Zubizarreta isn’t “worried” about the 2-0 away leg result, and he declared that Barça “have always been able to overcome difficult matches. We play with our own style, and that’s how we’re going to approach [the return leg].”

Lastly, the football director confirmed that he will be travelling back to New York City along with Sandro Rosell after the Clásico to visit Tito Vilanova. “Tito needs us, and we need him.”