On Saturday 23 August, Celta Vigo celebrated its 101st birthday at the stadium that has been associated with the Celestes since the club's beginnings. A select group of fans were invited on a special tour of Balaídos, after which they welcomed the players of the Celta - Valencia CF match. The icing on the cake was the victory over the Bats in front of full stands.

101 years, 101 visitors

On August 23, 1923, two local clubs, Vigo Sporting and Real Fortuna, form Club Celta through a merger. Two years later, the construction of Estadio Abanca Balaídos begins. Inaugurated in 1928, the stadium would witness both Celta's greatest successes in the 1970/71, 2002/03 or 2016/17 seasons, as well as long wanderings in the Segunda and desperate battles to stay in the Primera División.

Exactly 101 years later, at the same stadium, Celta Vigo celebrated their birthday in the presence of 101 fans selected through a competition. The lucky fans toured the club's modest museum and the stadium itself on Friday, walking out onto the pitch through the players' tunnel. They also had the opportunity, among other things, to sit on the substitutes' bench or behind a table in the press room.

A dream birthday

Probably the most important moment of the day for the 101 fans, however, was when they welcomed the Celta Vigo and Valencia CF players. 101 blue flags set up around the playing area went up in the air as the 22 players stepped out onto the pitch through the same tunnel the fans had previously walked through.

The start of the match was preceded by the singing of the club's 100th anniversary anthem - Oliveira Dos Cen Anos - and a pyrotechnic display. 23,519 fans showed up in the stands as all tickets were sold out. The only empty seats were those belonging to the socios who did not come to the match, and some of the seats in the visitors' sector.

Stadium before Celta's match against Valencia

The enthusiasm of the fans was cooled as early as the 14th minute by Diego Lopez, whose head shot put Valencia ahead. With the fans cheering, and thanks to the genius of Iago Aspas and Oscar Mingueza, Celta turned the match around and went down to the changing rooms with a score of 2:1, which could have been even higher had Mamardashvili not saved Celestes’ captain's penalty.

In the 59th minute of the match, Fran Beltrán sealed the win, scoring an absolute banger that has the potential to become the best goal of the season. The final score of 3:1 allowed Celta to maintain their position as La Liga leaders after 2 rounds. A dream birthday at Abanca Balaídos.