The world geganter adds a new figure with Blaugrana DNA and festive spirit . This is Lamine de Faió, the new gegantó of the Associació Gegants Eduard, in Ivard s’Urgell (Lleida) and the first gegantó dedicated to an active Barça soccer player.
The gegantó, very similar to Lamine Yamal (but without his name, to avoid image rights problems), is from Ivars d’Urgell (Lleida), but was inaugurated this August during the 15th anniversary of the Penya Blaugrana de Faió, very friendly, in front of more than 200 people. The event had luxury sponsors: the Penya Blaugrana itself, former Barça player Rafael Zuviría (1977-1982), who lifted 2 King’s Cups and 2 European Cup Winners’ Cups, and Lluís Pérez, member of FC Barcelona’s social commission.
The gegant born of a capgros
The technical data are also impressive: the gegantó weighs 13 kilos, is 2.40 meters tall and has fixed arms with the 304 model. A light but colorful figure, designed to dance and show off in the squares.
The gegantó was created by the builder Miquel Escobedo and dressed by the dressmaker Pepa Pascual, responsible for giving it shape and details. And behind the Lamine there is a history of family roots and coincidences. As Josep Rubiol, president of the Associació Gegants Eduard, from Ivars d’Urgell, explains, it all started this year.
“Our association was born in January. We were given the Caballero Narcís as a gift. And when my in-laws retired, a half-destroyed capgròs appeared at home. Then my grandson said: why don’t we make a Lamine Yamal?“. And so it has been. In fact, it serves to fight against the lack of generational relay in the gegants, since the younger ones are much more eager, all at once, to raise a Lamine.
With the in-laws originally from Faió, in La Franja, and coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the local Penya Blaugrana, the idea became a reality. Although they do not have official image rights, the gegantó bears the name of Lamine de Faió and is already part of the colla.
The second great presentation of the gegant came on Sunday, August 24, when the Lamine stepped on the streets for the first time in motion at the Festa Major de Bellmunt d’Urgell. There he paraded accompanied by the Cultural Cappont, danced before a devoted audience and shared parade with the colla gegantera of Castellnou de Seana.
Now, the gegant will become part of the permanent staff of the gegants of Ivars d’Urgell. And if the player fails and ceases to be a star? “Well”, Rubiol answers, “luckily, this gegantó came out spontaneously and with little investment… so if he fails (which hopefully he won’t), we’ll see”.