Gerard Pique Named ‘Superb’ British Stadium With the Best Atmosphere in Europe

Spanish defender Gerard Pique is one of the most decorated players in football history. He can also consider himself one of the greatest Barcelona players of all time. At the Nou Camp, he won La Liga on nine occasions and the Champions League three times.

All in all, the Spanish Euro and World Cup winner played 142 games in European Club competition. He played against scores of clubs during his career, but for Pique, one stadium stands out as having the best atmosphere. In 2013, having played in a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Celtic, Pique spoke out about Celtic Park:

This praise is from a man who has won it all in the game, playing in heated environments in the El Clasico games with Real Madrid. Pique remains unmoved on the subject of playing at Celtic, adding:

In his 667 games throughout his club career, Pique played against Celtic five times over five years. Three of these games were at Celtic Park. His first visit there ended in a 2-1 defeat in 2012. Despite having Xavi, Iniesta and Messi in the Barcelona side, goals from Tony Watt and Victor Wanyama gave the Scots a famous win.

Like Barcelona, Celtic have a proud record in the Champions League. They became the first British club to win the competition when they beat Inter Milan in 1967. That was a full 25 years before Barcelona first got their hands on the famous trophy.

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AI ranks Gerard Pique as one of the greatest-ever Champions League players. So his praise for Celtic is relevant given the high level he played at throughout his career. Pique is not alone among his Barcelona teammates for being somewhat in awe of Celtic Park.

Spanish World Cup-winning midfielders Xavi and Andres Iniesta were both blown away by the atmosphere at Celtic, as Xavi explains: “The atmosphere generated by the fans in Celtic’s stadium for our visit was the most impressive I’ve ever witnessed. The grounds of Liverpool and Manchester United are good and the hostile feeling of playing against Real Madrid in the Bernabeu is also excellent, but the atmosphere against Celtic was the best.”

Celtic Park often ranks as one of the best stadium atmospheres in British football. First built in 1892, it has since undergone serious renovation. With a sixty-thousand-seater capacity, it is by no means the biggest stadium, but few can come close to the noise it is able to generate during big games.

Pique was certainly touched. Judging by Celtic’s relentless pursuit of Scottish titles, they will continue to compete in the Champions League. In doing so, the atmosphere generated by their fans will no doubt be a memorable experience for a future generation of football superstars.

All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt.