Barcelona’s friendly against Chapecoense was an incredibly emotional occasion
One of the players who survived the plane crash made his return to the pitch.
Barcelona’s friendly match against Chapecoense was always going to be a meaningful game, having been arranged in the wake of a plane crash which killed 19 of the Brazilian club’s players and staff.
The plane was taking the team to the Copa Sudamericana final in November 2016 when it crashed in Colombia, killing 71 of the 77 people on board.
And when Chapecoense travelled to Spain to compete against Barcelona in a game of solidarity, the five-time Champions League winners were delighted to host them.
Alan Ruschel, who survived the crash, captained Chapecoense – Neto and Jakson Follmann, who also survived the crash, were at the Nou Camp as well.
And while Ruschel played, Neto and Follmann did the honours of completing the kick-off.
— FIFA.com (@FIFAcom) August 7, 2017
A very emotional occasion, and one which further demonstrates the power of football.
