Thread by @FCBarcelona

Of the close on 100,00 fans who will fill Camp Nou this evening there is one who will experience the Champions League in a very special way. It will be his first game at the stadium after an event more than a year that changed his life.
👇 THREAD 👇

On 14 February 2018 an armed gunman murdered 17 pupils in a shootout at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, USA. The total dead could have been much more if it had not been for the heroic intervention of Anthony Borges, the lead character in this story.

Anthony, who was 15 years old at the time, helped 20 of this team mates take cover in a classroom as he held the door shut with the gunman trying to force his way in. His bravery allowed his classmates to escape unhurt.

He did not have the same fortune...

The youngster received five bullets in his back and his limbs and his life was in danger. That event turned him into a figure of interest for the media in the USA and fortunately, after many months of medical treatment, he was able to recover.

Anthony, a football fanatic, had been a student in 2016 at the Barça Academy in Lauderhill, Florida. The Club, after hearing of his story from journalist Santiago Segurola, got in touch with his family to offer their help.

Barça followed his recovery and made themselves available in whatever capacity was needed. The former vice president Manel Arroyo visited Anthony at home in Florida to see how he was getting on during his recovery and invited him to Camp Nou once he was back on his feet.

The power of his personal story also reached the @BarcaAcademy schools around the world. The young blaugrana sportsmen and women sent him numerous messages of support.

The Barça players also found out about Anthony’s story after heavy media coverage in the USA and they wanted to add their support.

The best, however, was yet to come…

13 months after the tragic events in Florida, Anthony Borges will see his dream come true of seeing Barça play at Camp Nou in the flesh. He and his family arrived in Barcelona yesterday and have already visited the stadium.

After seeing the game between Barça and Lyon, Anthony and his family will visit the Museum on Thursday and will also meet the first team squad during their training session.

Anthony Borges’s dream came true. The youngster from Florida was at Camp Nou on a magical night for Barça’s 5-1 victory over Lyon in the @ChampionsLeague

A visit to the Barça museum, and to the Barça Escola, where he trained with other youngsters, were among the activities Anthony Borges took part in to round off an unforgettable trip to Barcelona for him and his family.