FC Barcelona celebrates the Year of the Tiger with a special message to its fans
Once again, FC Barcelona wants to celebrate Lunar New Year with fans, which in 2022 commemorates the year of the tiger. Inspired by this year’s Zodiac animal, the club is dedicating a special message in the form of a short film featuring Dani Alves, Memphis Depay, Riqui Puig and Oscar Mingueza. The video illustrates how Barça is leaving behind the challenges of the past and welcoming the beginning of a new year and era, through the combined effort of new and old talents, together with the strength and passion shown by Blaugrana fans.
FC Barcelona has undoubtably undergone a transformation the past year, but at its core, the Club’s pursuit of excellence remains unchanged. Now, at this special moment of year which embraces the idea of new beginnings the Club wants to highlight the strength and determination qualities that Barça shares with the tiger. Qualities which make Blaugrana special and unique, and that unite them as part of the Barça family.
As part of the actions being arranged for this special moment of the year, Barça has unveiled an eye-catching visual that pairs the modern silhouette of a tiger face with the traditional folk art of Chinese paper cutting to create an exciting graphic composition where east-meets-west. The front facing tiger sets a tone of determination and is emblematic of the effort and tenacity that is deeply rooted in FC Barcelona’s DNA.
President's message
In addition to the team representatives, the president of FC Barcelona, Joan Laporta, has also joined the celebration with a message addressed to the Chinese fans in which he wishes them a Happy New Year and thanks them for their support in 2021. In his speech, in English but with the initial greeting and farewell spoken in Chinese, Laporta says that with the emergence of young talents and the successes of its professional teams, the club is enjoying a bright present and future and is looking forward to a new era that will bring joy to fans.
In addition to the message to the fans, Barça will continue to celebrate the Lunar New Year, over the next few weeks. Barça supporters can expect an exciting artist collaboration inspired by the popular ‘China Chic’ trend, player appearances, special guests, VIP journeys and unmissable moments at the Camp Nou.
Until then, fans can send new year wishes to friends and family using the Barça Chinese New Year stickers on Meitu Xiu Xiu and memes on WeChat.
Barça and China, a relationship that’s consolidated with every year
In 2013, Barça opened its first ever permanent overseas in Hong Kong, as a result of its commitment to forging relationships and seeking joint opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region, where Barça has more fans than anywhere else in the world.
Since then, FC Barcelona has been consolidating its link with China, while the club has worked to develop and reinforce the passion for football in this market and to make its values known, adapting its messages to the channels, formats and language of this region.
This is taking the club closer to its fans and, through the most important Chinese digital channels, it has managed to connect, excite and impssion what are already more than 14 million followers who share the same Culer feeling of being 'More than a club'. This commitment has been recognized in recent years with different awards, such as being designated Best Online Club in China for two consecutive years, in 2020 and 2021, by the prestigious sports marketing agency Mailman.