They are getting closer.

Closer to Manchester United in rivaling them as Pakistan’s most supported club.Almost a decade ago, most of their current supporters hadn’t even heard their name. That was before Ronaldinho arrived in Catalonia.

Their worldwide fan-base rose and Pakistan wasn’t to be left behind.Now, Barcelona’s following is increasing exponentially in Pakistan and if they continue on this trend, they might as well leave United behind.

At least, that is what social media statistics show.As football evolves into becoming the country’s second-most followed sport in Pakistan, the younger generation is falling in love with the Catalans’ playing style just like United stole the hearts of another generation of Pakistanis at the turn of the millennium.

Cable television had by then become a part of the country’s culture and with a lot of other things, it also brought with it unparalleled coverage of international sport.

Before that, the state-run Pakistan Television used to include some English Premier League (EPL) news in its bulletins from time to time. But cable TV brought live coverage of the EPL.

And if there was a team which was at the top of its game at that time, it was United — with its poster-boy David Beckham.n 1999, the Red Devils had just won the treble — the EPL, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League and while the Champions League by then hadn’t become a part of Pakistan’s table-talk, EPL had.

In a country where winners are feted, it was only natural that United were going to be the ultimate benefactors. They gained a wide number of glory fans in Pakistan. Fans, who after some time, became ‘proper’ fans.

With Arsenal becoming United’s closest rivals, pipping them to a few titles in between, they also gained a large number of fans in Pakistan. And a year into the millennium, the country had two major sets of football fans—United and Arsenal fans with a smattering of Liverpool fans in between.

Liverpool had also won a treble in 2001 — only that they had won the FA Cup, League Cup and the UEFA Cup. But they didn’t come close to United in terms of fan following in Pakistan because they didn’t win the EPL and secondly, UEFA competitions weren’t followed by many football fans here back then.

But all that changed after the 2002 FIFA World Cup.The World Cup in Korea and Japan attracted a lot of audience in Pakistan and it set the tone for what was to follow in the next decade.The star of the tournament was Brazilian legend Ronaldo.

And when he moved to Real Madrid following the showpiece event, it generated a flickering interest for La Liga in Pakistan.That Real side was truly a Galaxy of Stars — Los Galacticos, as they were known in Spain — with the likes of Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul and Roberto Carlos.

Back then, Real were the big boys in Spain as Barca were struggling, both financially and structurally.he earliest group of Barca supporters in Pakistan goes back to that time.

“I initially found out about Barcelona when I was searching for the clubs Ronaldo played in,” says Absar Taqvi, an ardent supporter of the Catalan club since 2004.

Barca’s fortunes changed after they signed Ronaldo’s Brazil team-mate Ronaldinho in 2003, the same summer in which Beckham moved to Real.And while Beckham’s move drew many fans in Pakistan towards Real, those supporters had little idea that Barca were going to reclaim their stature in Spain and the world.

Ronaldinho and then-Barcelona coach Frank Riijkaard turned things around very quickly.European football, and the UEFA Champions League, became the table-talk for many football fans in the country. Liverpool’s victory in the 2005 Champions League final served to increase the interest in Pakistan for Europe’s premier club competition. A year later, Barca were crowned European champions to the dismay of a large Arsenal fans in the country.