Warriors star Barnes reveals his love for soccer
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) – Away from the hardcourts of the NBA, Golden State Warriors star forward Harrison Barnes has developed a love for soccer and the Spanish city of Barcelona.
On Thursday, he got the rare opportunity to combine his passions by visiting the training camp of the reigning Champions League champs FC Barcelona as they prepared for a friendly against Manchester United.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Barnes told reporters as he stood on a basketball court set up near the training field. “This is one of my favorite teams so to be able to come here and see them practice and to get to introduce them to my game a little bit…is pretty special.”
Barnes will be in attendance at the game on Saturday, but will not get a chance to see FC Barcelona stars Lionel Messi and Brazil star Neymar, who have been excused from a three-game U.S. tour after playing for their national teams in this summer’s Copa America.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Messi that’s how I came to root for Barcelona,” he said. “It’s been fun to watch the team grow…They are an exciting team to watch.”
Barnes love was further fueled by attending the World Cup last year in Brazil.
“It’s one thing to be a fan,” he said. “You watch soccer in the states and it’s good, but when you go to the World Cup you just see everything. We weren’t sitting in the (luxury) suites. We were down in the thick of it. I’ve never really been in a sports atmosphere like that.”
Barnes also has become close friends with Ricky Rubio; the Minnesota Timberwolves point guard who lives in Barcelona in the off-season. The Warriors forward got a chance to visit the Spanish city last year.
“Going over there and seeing everything that is there,” he said of the visit. “There’s beautiful architecture, great food. I did tons of sightseeing.”
Barnes said many of his teammates share his passion for soccer.
“Soccer is such a great game,” Barnes said. “A lot of guys on the team are involved with either watching it or playing around with it. (Warriors teammate and Brazil native Leandro) Barbosa is on huge influence on that.”
Then Barnes posed for photos with the team. He showed off the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship trophy while Barcelona showcased the Champions League hardware.