FC Barcelona celebrates 125th anniversary at Liceu Opera House

Party time at FC Barcelona as the club celebrates 125 years of history.

The club pulled out all the stops at Friday's Anniversary Gala at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the city's iconic opera house on La Rambla boulevard that dates back to 1837.

In a magnificent setting, nearly 2,000 guests, including representatives from various institutions, athletes, and famous personalities, all gathered to express their love for the Catalan club.

One of the surprises at the gala was the unveiling of the new mascot, CAT, created by the Grangel Brothers for the 125th anniversary.

CAT stole the spotlight on the night, leaping on the stage to take a selfie with club president Joan Laporta, Gavi, and Lamine Yamal. 

The mascot will debut at the Barça v Las Palmas match on Saturday.

Joan Gamper remembered

The red carpet led the attendees to their seats, where everything was set for a spectacular show.

David Carabén, Commissioner of the 125th Anniversary, opened the evening with an emotional speech, before Aleix Santacana, the announcer at Spotify Camp Nou stadium and also for now the Estadi Olímpic, took the microphone.

Santacana officially welcomed everyone to the gala and took them on a journey back to 29 November 1899 to remember the figure of club founder Joan Gamper.

Moving speech by Laporta

Barça president Joan Laporta talked guests through the century and a quarter of the club's remarkable history, emphasizing its multi-sport identity, commitment to Catalonia and Catalan culture, and leadership in defending rights and freedoms worldwide.

Llorenç Tarrés and Sandra Sabatés directed the rest of the evening full of surprises, historical highlights, and emotion and humor. 

Guests heard from figures like Jordi Cruyff, who spoke about the value of La Masia and recalled his father Johan Cruyff's transformative influence in building the 1992 European Cup-winning team.