Over 23,000 fans packed into the stadium for an open training session - the first public event in nearly 900 days and according to Joan Sentelles, director of Espai Barça and head of construction, everything went "even better than expected." For Barcelona, this wasn't just another event; it was a symbolic test ahead of a crucial moment. The club hopes to officially return home on November 22, when they host Athletic Club in La Liga.
When the players went out, they were like pfff, what a great atmosphere', Xabi Alonso said at the close of a night so long-awaited many didn't make it, and many of those who did were actually experiencing primera for the first time. At the north end of the Carlos Tartiere, Real Oviedo's fans prepared to reveal another gigantic work of art, 1,800m square metres of tifo sent tumbling across the terrace.