Barcelona president welcomes Manny Pacquiao to Camp Nou

Barcelona fans have been having fun on social media, joking about "signing" boxing legend Manny Pacquiao after he was welcomed by Barcelona president Joan Laporta and vice-president Rafa Yuste to the Camp Nou earlier this week.

The club shared photos and videos of the 43-year-old former boxer-turned-politician, where he could be seen holding up a Barcelona kit with his name printed across the back.

Pacquiao, who recently concluded an unsuccessful run for Philippine president, is in Barcelona for a family vacation. A sportsman well beyond boxing, he did not pass up the opportunity to visit Barcelona's facilities.

Laporta gave him a personal tour of stadium, including the museum and first team locker room. He concluded his visit by donning a Barcelona jersey, and posing for photos with his family and the club officials. Some lucky fans who were touring the stadium also managed to ask for photos and autographs.

The club proudly released documentation of the visit, where they said that Pacquiao was particularly interested in Filipino club legend Paulino Alcantara.
The Philippine-born striker donned the Blaugrana jersey from 1912-1927, just a few decades after the country gained independence from Spain.

In that time, he scored 369 goals in 357 games for the club, making him a true legend.

Pacquiao is an avid sportsman outside of his boxing career, having played professional basketball and billiard tournaments. He is also an accomplished chess player.

In a statement, Barcelona praised the boxer for his achievements, saying "'Pac-Man' is the only winner of nine world titles in eight different categories, and was named boxer of the 2000s by the World Boxing Council (WBC)."

"Having retired for good in 2021 after 25 years in the ring, he is also famed for his many others talents, which range from singing and acting to currently being the president of the PDP-Laban political party and having a seat in his country's congress from 2010 to 2016 and is now a senator."