FC Barcelona fans were shocked by a short clip from the Olympic Stadium on Montjuïc hill. Has a tiger really escaped from the Catalan zoo? Luckily, it was not a fatal error on the part of zoo staff.

Dangerous fugitive in Barcelona?

Viewed millions of times, a video published by the Blaugrana's official account caused considerable consternation among internet users. The clip shows a lone tiger strolling across the turf of Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The predator looks so real in the 10-second video that debate has heated up online as to whether this is really just a prank by the artificial intelligence hired by FC Barcelona.

However, one can assume we are dealing with a computer-generated animal here. The clue lies in the nickname of 18-year-old Vitor Roque (Tigrinho), who recently joined Xavi's team. Despite serious financial problems, the club managed to pay €61 million for the former Athletico Paranaense player.

With this marketing move, did Barcelona want to draw attention away from Endrick's high-profile transfer to Real Madrid? Roque's compatriot will play for the Santiago Bernabeu team after his former club, SE Palmeiras, won the national championship last season.

© FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona, like Camp Nou, under construction

Acquiring a young talent from Brazil is not the only investment the club’s board has decided on. There is also room in the budget for the build of the new Spotify Camp Nou. The whole project is expected to cost Barcelona €900 million.

Among the main features of the reigning Nou Camp project there are:

• the construction of a new third stands tier from scratch with a uniform height around the entire outer perimeter, thereby increasing the capacity of the stadium to over 105,000 spectators,
• the creation of a VIP ring between the second and third tiers and the roofing of all the spectator seats in the stadium

Work on the stadium began in September 2022 and is scheduled to be completed more than three years later. For most of the construction period, Blaugrana players stage their matches at the Olympic stadium on Montjuïc hill. Barcelona fans will be able to see their favorites again at Camp Nou in November 2024.