EXCL: Emmanuel Petit on the memory of Barcelona that will stick with him – ‘It’s the DNA of the club’ | OneFootball

This interview was conducted in partnership with Gambling Zone.

Barcelona celebrated their 125th anniversary last Friday, marking the date with a gala at the Liceu theatre, which was attended by a number of famous faces from Barcelona’s present and past. It was an occasion that brought up no shortage of nostalgia for fans across the world.

Former player Emmanuel Petit has spoken in the past about the unique nature of the Catalan giants, and what separates Barcelona from other big clubs. Speaking exclusively to Football España, Petit explained that there was one thing that stood out about his time at the club above all else.

“There’s a lot of things that I remember, even though it didn’t work out and I was only there for one year, but I really like the song at Barcelona, before every single game, it’s in Catalan – ‘Tots units fem forca‘ – I really liked it. Why? Well because it’s the DNA of the club, this is something that’s very important for the fans, I loved it.”

“I love it with Madrid too, it’s the same. In England. The song before the games, ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ at Anfield. This song has been a symbol for many clubs in Europe. But even the songs about the players during the games.”

In his eyes, the club anthems, and even just some of the popular songs, were the heartbeat of what makes football what it is.

“This is very important, the songs are a link between the players and the fans. I remember a lot of things at Barcelona, but for me it’s the thing that impacts me the most. You can feel the pride of the people. It’s something that links the people. What is football? The best thing in football is that it unites people, so that’s what I like best.”

Barcelona put together a special 125th anniversary anthem on Friday, but the traditional song will cotinue to ring out before games. ‘El Cant del Barca’ as their hymn is called was originally composed in 1974 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the club, and has become part of the lungs of their fans. Undoubtedly, across Spain, whether it be at the Santiago Bernabeu, Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, San Mames or Camp Nou, the anthems before games are part of what makes Spanish football special.