Club Historian John Hutchinson's Links with The Past series continues with a look at a distinctive gift from FC Barcelona, presented to Leicester City during the pre-season of 2016.
When City faced Barcelona in the International Champions Cup on 3 August, 2016 at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, the Club was gifted this very distinctive iron sculpture. It was exclusively designed and commissioned by FC Barcelona. It is one of a limited edition of 100.
The artefact is called Linia de Cel, or Skyline. It is just over a foot in length and depicts Barcelona’s skyline.
Featured in the sculpture from left to right are the Torre Agbar, the Sagrada Familia Basilica and Barcelona’s famous Camp Nou Stadium.
The Torre Agbar is 144 metres high, was completed in 2004 and symbolises a geyser shooting up and touching the sky above Barcelona.
The famous Sagrada Familia Church was designed by Antoni Gaudi and construction started in the 19th century. Although still incomplete, the Gothic and Art Nouveau building is a designated UNESCO World Heritage site and was consecrated as a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010.
The Camp Nou Stadium, with its capacity of 98,000, is due to be upgraded over coming years years, raising its capacity to 105,000.
Over the years, Leicester City has accrued a large collection of trophies and mementoes. This iron skyline ranks among the most distinctive.
