Barcelona’s La Liga campaign looked set to get off to an unlucky start on Sunday evening as a black cat ran on to the pitch at the Nou Camp in the second minute of their opening league match against Elche, reports the Daily Mail. Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique saw the funny side of things in the Barcelona dugout, and was seen laughing and joking with his coaching staff and players on the bench.
The black cat, reportedly known as ‘Pusskas’, spent a couple of minutes evading the attentions of both sets of players and Barcelona staff, with Elche goalkeeper Titon doing his best to sweep the plucky feline into his arms.
Barcelona went on to record a 3-0 win thanks largely to two goals from Lionel Messi. The cat eventually picked up by a member of staff at the Nou Camp, and ushered out of the ground.
Twitter exploded with posts about the cat, and within minutes three accounts had been set up paying homage to it.
In Spain, like in many European countries, black cats have been considered an object of superstition since the Middle Ages, due to supposedly bringing bad luck and curses to any human they go near. They are also associated with witchcraft.
It is not the first time a match at the Nou Camp has been interrupted by a black cat, with one scampering on to the pitch during Barcelona’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in February 2012.
The Catalan giants were not affected by the presence of the cat on that occasion either, and ended a run of three consecutive draws, their worst run of results of the season at that point.
It also coincided with Lionel Messi breaking a relative drought in front of goal, as he scored the winner for then coach Pep Guardiola’s side.
In February 2012 the ‘Anfield Cat’ became an internet sensation after running on to the pitch during Liverpool’s Premier League clash against Tottenham, which finished 0-0.
Play was held up in the 11th minute when the cat darted on at Anfield and ran towards Spurs goalkeeper Brad Friedel’s goal. At the last count @AnfieldCat had 54,600 followers on the social media site.
-With New Age input
