Guardiola cheered as Barcelona fall to Olympiacos in overtime
Pep Guardiola walked into Barcelona's basketball arena and the crowd stood to greet him.
The former Barcelona and Manchester City manager received a standing ovation while attending Barcelona's EuroLeague game against Olympiacos BBC. Footage shows fans on their feet as he took his seat.
The tie was played at the Palau Blaugrana in Barcelona. It was a Round 6 game in the 2026-27 EuroLeague, the top club basketball competition in Europe EuroLeague. Guardiola knows the building and the city well from his years in charge of Barcelona's football team.
On the court, Barcelona lost 100-105 after overtime. Overtime is extra time played when the scores are level at the end of normal play. Barcelona stayed with the visitors for four quarters but could not hold them in the added minutes.
The win closed a perfect road trip in Spain for Olympiacos. The Greek side beat Valencia and then Barcelona, both in overtime, to finish a double-round week with two wins from two EuroLeague. A double-round week means two games in one week. That run moved Olympiacos to five wins and one defeat for the season.
Mbaye Ndiaye was central to the win in Barcelona. He finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three blocks EuroLeague. Rebounds count balls claimed after a missed shot. Blocks count shots stopped on their way to the basket.
Barcelona had arrived in form. They edged Maccabi Rapyd Tel Aviv 90-87 in their previous game, with Justin Robinson hitting a late three-pointer, a long-range shot worth three points, to win it. This time the late finish went the other way.
It was a busy spell for the wider club. Hansi Flick, coach of Barcelona's football team, welcomed Frenkie de Jong and Raphinha back into the squad for the match against Betis at La Cartuja, with kick-off set for 6:30pm CEST on 17 October FC Barcelona. Raphinha had returned to training after a knock while on international duty. The football side had beaten Galatasaray 4-1 away in the Champions League after falling behind.
What makes this stand out is the crossover. Guardiola made his name in football dugouts. For a basketball crowd to rise for him says something simple. Some faces belong to a whole city, whatever the sport.
