Chris Pollock ’18, a junior midfielder on the men’s soccer team, recently helped set up a friendly match between Dickinson and one of the world’s wealthiest sports franchises, Futbol Club Barcelona.

“This was a rare opportunity for any college, and It was an honor to share the same field with players I will someday watch on TV,” said Pollock.

Recently valued at $3.1 billion by Forbes, Barcelona is the second richest football club in the world behind Real Madrid. Barcelona competes in the Spanish premier league, known as “La Liga.” Unlike many other clubs, Barcelona is owned and operated by its own supporters.

Pollock, who hosted the son of Barcelona’s Director of Football Operations as an exchange student last year, organized a ten day trip that involved a tour of the training facilities, a friendly match, and tickets to a live game.

Although Dickinson fell to Barcelona’s youth team seven to one, their lone goal was a poignant moment in Pollock’s soccer career.

“I remember seeing Macsen Pritchard, our senior center back, strike the ball into the back of the net. We were down seven goals, but our whole team was ecstatic. It was a special moment for our program, especially to score against a team of Barcelona’s caliber,” said Pollock.

The experience of playing against Barcelona’s youth team reminded Pollock of the differences between European and United States soccer. Pollock added, “All these guys had been playing together in the academies before they were teenagers, it felt like they were a step ahead of us on every play.”

The very next day, Dickinson players visited Camp Nou, Barcelona’s world class stadium. With a capacity of nearly 100,000, Pollock and his teammates saw the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez compete against Sampdoria, an Italian based club.

“I grew up idolizing Messi and it was a surreal feeling to see him run out onto the field. In terms of stature he looked tiny, but every time the ball was in his feet the crowd was waiting for him to do something spectacular,” said Pollock.

The trio of Messi, Suarez, and Neymar has become widely regarded as one of the best attacking forces in soccer history. This past season, they set a Barcelona record of 103 goals together.

“Upon leaving the stadium, it was amazing to see how many people were invested in the club.”

I hope other colleges can have a similar experience, because it definitely provides perspective on how passionate people are about soccer worldwide,” said Pollock.

Pollock, who worked as an intern in the Barcelona soccer museum this past summer, helped create this life-changing experience for the members of the Dickinson soccer team. As an international business major with a Spanish minor, Pollock will continue working for Barcelona this upcoming summer in a front office position. He hopes this will lead him to more opportunities with the club, as this is something he intends to pursue as a career path.

If you would like to watch highlights of U19: FC Barcelona vs Dickinson College, visit the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NupvE_OKXC8