REUTERS/Albert Gea
Barcelona and Spanish legend Xavi has played against many of the best sides in world football in some of the biggest stadiums across the globe. However, there is one stadium that stands out to him, and his affection for the ground dates all the way back to a chaotic night in September 1998, when an 18-year-old midfielder still commuting to Barcelona's training ground via the metro and playing for the B team was throw into a Champions League classic.
Xavi's own recollections of the game, and everything it meant to him, explain why this iconic British ground still tops his list years after he retired from his successful, silverware-decorated playing career.
Xavi revealed Wayne Rooney’s comment to him during Man Utd vs Barcelona UCL final in 2011
Xavi revealed Wayne Rooney’s comment to him during Man Utd vs Barcelona UCL final in 2011
A Baptism of Fire in The "Theatre of Dreams"
REUTERS/Chris Radburn
The iconic football ground in question was Manchester United's Old Trafford, with Xavi opening up about United's pull on him long before he ever played there. "I've always really liked Manchester United," he said. "From the team with Paul Ince, Bruce and Pallister. Then I watched Cantona, then Yorke and Cole, the forwards. They were the best in football for a time."
That admiration collided with reality on his European debut, as Barcelona and United shared a 3-3 draw at Old Trafford in September 1998, with David Beckham scoring one of his trademark free-kicks and Nicky Butt sent off for a handball that gifted Barcelona a penalty. Xavi recalled Louis Van Gaal sending him to a warm-up moments before Beckham's strike:
"The noise from the crowd after he scored — wow. It was so intense. Imagine what it was like for me? I was 18 and playing for Barca B in front of 1,000," he said via MEN.
Steven Gerrard, Xavi and Rio Ferdinand.
Steven Gerrard, Xavi and Rio Ferdinand.
He entered the game, Barcelona won a late penalty to level it, and Xavi still calls it "what an introduction to football: what noise." Unsurprisingly, he named Old Trafford his favourite stadium in Europe, noting:
Xavi's Record Against Manchester United
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That wasn't the only high-scoring draw between the sides that season, the return fixture also finished 3-3, with United eventually going on to win a treble. The rivalry would resurface at the highest level a decade later, as Barcelona beat United 3-1 at Wembley in the 2011 Champions League final, having already beaten them 2-0 in Rome in 2009 to complete a treble of their own.
In that 2011 final, Xavi dominated the midfield alongside his Barcelona teammates, and his individual performance was a huge part of Barcelona's dominance in the game, which easily brushed United aside on the biggest stage.
It's a record that goes some way to explaining his lasting fondness for Old Trafford and everything United have represented across his career, a club whose history he admired as a boy growing up, and one his own Barcelona side got the better of on multiple occasions.