Article by Alexandru Barbu – Published Wednesday, December 24, 2025 6:38 p.m. / Updated Wednesday, December 24, 2025 6:40 p.m.
- The podcast with Catalin Oprisan will be available on Gazeta Sporturilor's YouTube channel (SUBSCRIBE HERE!), as well as on GSP.ro, starting from Friday, 18:00
Oprișan, former journalist at Gazeta Sporturilor for years, specializing in international football, is a lifelong Barcelona fan.
“I have been with Barcelona for 40 years. When the final of the European Champions Cup, Steaua – Barcelona, was replayed on Ghencea, I stayed for an hour: I am not leaving until I get a T-shirt from Barcelona. Victor Munoz sent me home, because they no longer have T-shirts. I insisted, he finally took off his shorts and gave them to me. I have Munoz's original shorts at home!”, Oprișan recounts.
20 years ago there was no one with Barcelona, with Real, you watched a match for I don't know how long, there was no Digi, there was no Prima. But you had 20 Romanian footballers in Spain! Today you have one, on Ratiu…
– Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP podcast “2 to 1”
VIDEO | The “drama” that Cătălin Oprișan, always a Blaugrana, went through: “I haven't mentioned his name for 4 years. I call him Leonaș”
It hasn't even surpassed the Leo Messi-Barcelona break-up, one of the most shocking break-ups in football history.
“It doesn't seem normal to me how Messi was treated, no. But I call him the traitor and I haven't mentioned his name for 4 years, I only call him Leonaș.
When there was talk of his departure, he caught me in Turkey, I was sitting with my laptop open, I didn't breathe for a day. I suffered like a dog! He can't leave, there's no way! When he started crying at the conference, I cried too… it was something you believed in, an idol”, says Oprisan.
Which places the “Messi over Maradona. That's my point of view. My soul hurts, that he is a traitor, but he is Messi!”.
“He comes and says that Barcelona could no longer pay him. But what did you mean to Barcelona and taking into account what Barcelona did for you, you could play for 40 years for free. It's just that we don't know concretely what happened there, it's easy to comment from the outside… when PSG also comes…”, adds the media man.
In short, what Leo Messi did at Barcelona (2005-2021):
Leo Messi, photo: Imago Images
- 837 matches;
- 709 goals;
- 41 trophies won, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles.
For me, Guardiola's Barcelona was the most enjoyable football team I've seen. The most beautiful football to watch. I liked the 2009 team the most
– Cătălin Oprișan, on the GSP podcast “2 to 1”
“2 to 1” with Cătălin Oprișan, special Christmas edition, Friday, 18:00. The main topics addressed:
- how former referee Alexandru Tudor used to come to the newsrooms to analyze the controversial phases;
- what he never said about Gigi Becali and FCSB;
- the reason why his son quit professional sports;
- which team did Cătălin play with as a child;
- which legendary footballer is a “traitor” in his opinion;
- Ladislau Boloni called him live on the radio;
- controversial opinion about Simona Halep;
- the first 3 decisions he would take as Minister of Sports;
- the true Golden Generation of Romanian football, in Oprișan's vision;
- what sporting events excite him;
- the conflict with Radu Banciu;
- remarkable story about Ana Maria Brânza.
About Cătălin Oprisan:
- journalist since 1993, graduated in “Peculiarities of the language of sports media”;
- participated in the last ever Cup Winners' Cup final;
- saw Hagi at Euro 2000, when the “King” retired from the national team;
- he smelled the grass on the “Maracanã” and broadcast from outside Ronaldo's house in Brazil, a day after he had become world champion;
- he wrote the history of Stela – “Star, Legend of a football team”, for which he received the “Ioan Chirilă” Award, but also “The History of the Romanian National Football Team”, awarded by the Romanian Sports Press Association;
- he was Don Balón's correspondent for Romania, and wrote for the first time in Gazeta Sporturilor in 1999;
- in the podcasts and videos where he inevitably becomes the main actor, he revives legendary sports characters, being a kind of archaeologist who unearths the forgotten stories of the arenas;
- co-producer of the morning show from Kiss FM.
