In a few hours Celta de Vigo will take on FC Barcelona at Estadio de Balaídos in Vigo. For five of the players and one of the coaches it will be a very special encounter, in many many ways.

This since four of the current Celta de Vigo player: Nolito, Andreu Fontás, Sergi Gómez and Carles Planas have all earlier played for FC Barcelona. While Barcelonas Rafinha and coach Luis Enrique was both at Celta last season.

So I decided to write shortly about each one of them and explain their history with both clubs and more than that with each-other.

SERGI GÓMEZ

Born in Arenys de Mar, not far from Barcelona in 1994 he came to the clubs youth academy at the age of 14. In 2007 Gómez was part of the Barcelona youth-team who won the Nike Premier Cup at Old Trafford in Manchester. In the youth-ranks of the club he at occacions played both with one year old Carles Planas as one year younger Rafinha.

In 2010 Gómez took the step up to Barcelonas B-team, then coached by Luis Enrique. Also in the team at the moment was Nolito, Carles Planas and Andreu Fontás. Gómez stayed with Barça B until 2014 and played during that time also with Rafinha. Ahead of the current season he and Carles Planas left Barcelona and signed for Celta de Vigo to once again join up with Nolito and Andreu Fontás.

Gómez played one game, Spanish Supercup, for Barcelonas first team. During his first season at Celta he has so far played 18 games.

CARLES PLANAS

Born in Sant Celoni, not far from Barcelona in 1991. Carles Planas would join FC Barcelona at the age of 10, taking part in one of the clubs best youth teams to date: The generation of 1991. In 2009 he was promoted to the clubs B-team, then coached by Luis Enrique. Where he would at different occasions come to play with Nolito, Andreu Fontas, Sergi Gómez and Rafinha. Before leaving the club before the ongoing season for Celta.

Planas went to Celta together with Gómez and the pair there joined up with their old mates Nolito and Fontás. Planas featured in one Copa del Rey and one Champions League game for Barcelonas first team. At Celta he has so far this season played a total of 11 games.

NOLITO

Manuel Agudo Durán ”Nolito” was born in the Andalusian city of Sanlúcar de Barrameda in 1986. Already as a kid he inherited a special love for FC Barcelona from his grandfather. A man Nolito saw as his own father, since he grew up without his parents. In several interviews he recall how he got a Barcelona training overall from his grandpa as a kid. A overall he says he never took of and even slept in, until it got too small.

In 2008 at the age 22 Nolito signed for FC Barcelona’s B-team. Arriving at his new club he stated ”This is a dream I never thought would become a reality”. However his first year in Barcelona was difficult as his coach, Luis Enrique, stated that the clubs new signing was overweight and needed a new diet. On the pitch Nolito didn’t either perform as expected and at the end of the season his grandfather, ”his dad”, died of a heart-attack. During this difficult time Luis Enrique became a very important person for the Andalusian-boy. And later on Nolito has many times declared Lucho as being a father-figure for him. Under Luis Enrique’s guiding hand Nolito reached his ideal weight and during his second year at the club he became the top-scorer of the Spanish second division as Barça B reached a historic third place in the league table.

Guardiola offered Nolito a spot in the Barcelona first team, but the kid felt he couldn’t compete with the likes om Lionel Messi and David Villa. Instead he left for Benfica and later also enjoyed a loan spell at Granada. When Luis Enrique in 2013 became the coach of Celta de Vigo his first signing would be Nolito. Since then Nolito has exploded in the sky-blue shirt scoring 14 goals his first season and 8 so far this season.

At Barça B Nolito played with Sergi Gómez, Fontás and Planas. While at Celta he has shared a dressing room with all the three mentioned as well as Rafinha. Both at Barça B and Celta he have had Lucho as his coach.

ANDREU FONTÁS

Born in Banyoles, Girona in 1989 Andreu Fontás became a big Barça-supporter at a early age. He would first start playing for the club at the age of 17 making his debut with the clubs B-team one year later. Originally a defensive midfielder Fontás was reconverted into a central defender by Luis Enrique at Barça B. He got his first-team debut under Guardiola in 2009. But would stay on playing in the clubs B-team with players like Nolito, Sergi Gómez, Carles Planas and Rafinha until he in 2011 got permanently promoted to the clubs first team.

After being loaned out to Mallorca for a season Fontás signed for Celta de Vigo in 2013. Joining up with his old coach Luis Enrique and old teammate Nolito. A regular at Celta Fontás will against Barça play his 60th games for the Galician club.

Over the years playing together Nolito and Fontás has created a close friendship and for both FC Barcelona will always hold a special place in their hearts. Just the other week they together flew down to Barcelona to experience the El Clásico.

RAFINHA ALCANTARA

The meeting between Celta and Barça is special for everyone mentioned in this post but maybe even more so for Rafinha Alcantara. Born in the Brazilian city of São Paulo in 1993. He would move to Vigo with his family just three years later as his dad Mazinho signed for Celta de Vigo.

Rafinha wasn’t more than three years old the first time he played football at Balaídos with his older brother Thiago (today at Bayern Munich). As seen in the video below:

He started his football career playing futsal in Vigo and would later, as his dad, join Celta de Vigo playing for the clubs youth teams. At the age of 13 Rafinha left Celta for FC Barcelona and La Masia, where his two-year older brother Thiago was already playing. Rafinha got his B-team debut under Luis Enrique in 2011. And would feature in eight games under Lucho at Barça B. One of them was against Celta de Vigo, a special game for him since it was the first time he got to play together with his brother Thiago. Another special moment for the Alcantara brothers arrived when Rafinha made his Champions League debut for Barcelonas first team in 2011. As the brothers, both in the starting line-up, then played their first official first-team game together.

At Barça B Rafinha played with Andreu Fontás, Sergi Gómez and Carles Planas.

In 2013 as Luis Enrique took over as head coach at Celta de Vigo, Rafinha joined his old club on a one year loan. It was a very emotional season for the player arriving home to Vigo where his mother and two young siblings were still living. In February 2014 Rafinha was named La Ligas player of the month, exactly 17 years after his dad had got the same award while playing at Celta.

Ahead of the ongoing season Rafinha returned to Barcelona together with Luis Enirque who was named as Barcelona’s new head coach. Just as in Celta, Rafinha has continued to be one of Luis Enrique’s favourite players on the squad.

LUIS ENRIQUE

After having arrived at FC Barcelona as a player in 1996 Luis Enrique retired from his football career at the club in 2004. He would return in 2008 as FC Barcelona B became Lucho’s first coaching job. One of his first ever signings would be Nolito a 22-year old who had impressed while playing for Andalusian third division side Ecija. Under his three years at Barça B Luis Enrique would promote Andreu Fontás, Sergi Gómez, Carles Planas and Rafinha from the clubs youth-teams, creating a special relationship with all of his players.

After a bad spell in AS Roma and a sabbatical year Luis Enrique took over Celta de Vigo in 2013. He directly decided to bring three of his former players to the club. Nolito was signed from Benfica. Fontás was signed from Barcelona after having been on loan at Mallorca and Rafinha arrived on a one season loan from Barcelona. Under Luis Enrique Celta would have a fantastic season and for many bee seen as the seasons big surprise. Rafinha who came directly from Barça B and the Spanish second division became the teams most vital player in midfield while Nolito scored goals like never before and Fontás created stability in defence.

Luis Enique would most likely have stayed on at Celta de Vigo if he hadn’t been offered his ”dream job” of coaching FC Barcelona’s first team. So for this season, Lucho together with Rafinha headed back ”home” to Barcelona.

Lucho have created strong relationships with most of his players but his relationship with Nolito is a bit more special. Lucho was the one who gave Nolito the chance of professional football when he signed him to Barça B in 2008. He was also the one who brought him to the club where the Andalusian-striker enjoyed most of his success: Celta de Vigo. But more than that has Luis Enrique been there for Nolito outside the pitch, when hard times arrived. As Nolito got his first call up to the national team earlier this season Luis Enrique expressed his happiness for the player during a Barcelona press conference saying ”he is like a son to me”.

Friends who play against each-other, a ”father” meeting his ”son” and a kid coming back home. It will in many ways be a very special game at Balaídos tonight.

But it’s a game that also will be special to a former player. José Manuel Pinto, who played for both teams posted this picutre on Twitter earlier today. Writing ”tonight the two teams who will always be in my heart will play each-other”

Aaaand let’s end the post with a pic of Celtas three ”Barça boys”.

Enjoy the game!

Alex