Former Barcelona defender Junior Firpo has slammed Camp Nou, claiming that it is ‘usually more tourists than fans’ when asked to compare it to Leeds United’s Elland Road.
The left-back joined Leeds from the Blaugrana in the summer of 2021, having made 41 appearances for Barcelona during his time at the club.
He grabbed his first goal for Leeds to hand them a precious 1-0 win over Southampton and boost their Premier League survival hopes on Saturday, but drew more attention to himself with comments made about his former club’s stadium and, more importantly, its fanbase.
When quizzed on which stadium he preferred out of Camp Nou and Elland Road, Firpo was unequivocal in his answer.
“A packed Elland Road”, he confirmed, before adding “the Nou Camp is a really big stadium and it is 90,000 people and it is unbelievable”.
“But usually there are more tourists than fans. They go there to watch the best players play and used to go to watch [Lionel] Messi play but here [at Leeds] it is totally different. There are 35,000 people and it is rocking all the time. This is what I love.”
❌ Nou Camp
✅ Elland RoadLeeds full-back Junior Firpo says Barcelona’s stadium is full of tourists unlike Leeds who has almost all fans in the stadium. 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/C0U6v0KuhP
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) February 25, 2023
As it stands, they sit a point and a place above the relegation zone, while they travel to Chelsea this Saturday, who themselves have not won since the middle of January.
A win for either side could have major ramifications, with another defeat for the Blues perhaps spelling the end of Graham Potter’s time in charge, while three points for the home side could once again send Leeds into the bottom three.
