Amics de la Rambla has awarded its Ramblists of Honor distinctions to FC Barcelona first-team coach Hansi Flick, the Granja Viader café and art historian Judith Subirachs. The ceremony took place as Barcelona continues to debate the future of the Rambla and a redevelopment project intended to restore the boulevard’s character.
Flick did not attend the event at the Saló de Cent, but sent a video message in which he said he had felt affection and support since arriving in Barcelona and was proud to be part of the city. Barça vice-president Rafa Yuste accepted the award on his behalf and said he hoped to drink from the Canaletes fountain with the German coach.
Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni praised Flick’s commitment to the talent developed at La Masia. He also highlighted Subirachs’s efforts to preserve the life and work of her father, sculptor Josep Maria Subirachs, and described Granja Viader as part of the emotional memory of several generations. The establishment has operated in the Raval since 1870 and is now in its fifth generation, represented by Marc Espuny Casademunt.
The event also brought together Yuste and Joan Subirats, a former culture councillor and professor of political science. The two recalled having been football opponents in the past. Subirats said his connection with the Rambla was longstanding: he was born nearby and later worked there as a councillor during one of Ada Colau’s mayoral terms.
Speakers agreed that, despite the profound changes Barcelona has undergone since the first edition of the awards in 1961, the aspiration for the Rambla to recover its spirit remains unchanged. The current renovation was initially planned to last seven years, but its expected duration has been reduced to three. The project is scheduled for completion in mid-February.
Collboni evoked Federico García Lorca’s description of the Rambla as the only street on Earth he would wish never to end. The mayor linked the urban transformation to the recovery of theatres such as the Capitol and the Principal, while acknowledging the challenge of changing the character of the boulevard’s commercial frontage, which includes cannabis shops, currency exchanges and sports stores. “It is not only a rambla, it is also a way of understanding the city,” he said.
Flick is not the first Barça figure to receive the distinction. The club was honored in 1974, while Joan Gaspart shared the award with Pasqual Maragall in 1985. The event also recalled Joan Sabaté, known as the Maradona of the Rambla for his ball-juggling performances on the promenade, although he was never awarded the title.
Sources: La Vanguardia.