Before the start of the annual Joan Gamper Trophy fixture, newly-appointed team captain Lionel Messi spoke to the crowd at the Camp Nou and made a promise the team “will do all we can” to bring the Champions League back to Barcelona.
While Barcelona have had tremendous recent success in La Liga and the Copa del Rey, there is no denying that the Champions League disappointments coupled with Real Madrid’s 3-peat have been a plague to their accomplishments. Their last three quarter-final knockout stage eliminations are upsetting not only because of the circumstances surrounding the losses but also because of the great potential that they had heading into the tournaments.