FC Barcelona turned the Empire State Building blue & red last night to mark the opening of their American headquarters in New York City. Barca have chased down multiple European and domestic titles and now they're chasing down the American dream as they look to increase their business and fan base in the States.
Having already cracked the Asian market since the launch of their Hong Kong office in 2014 and with a natural following in South America thanks to Spanish speaking countries and South American star players, including a certain Messi, Neymar and Suarez, attentions have turned to the American market with a new 250 square metre office on Park Avenue, in Midtown Manhattan. Barca (£2.46bn) weighed in as second on the 2016 Forbes Rich List of football clubs, behind their arch rivals Real Madrid (£2.52bn) but a more dominant presence in the States could see them reach pole position. 
The Spanish duo may have overtaken Manchester United on the Rich List but it's the Premier League that continues to reign supreme for European football in America, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal all making moves with pre-season tours this summer. Barcelona stayed in Europe this summer but they're expected to build on their new base with another tour of the States in 2017. The commercial opportunities that America presented to the club were far too enticing to overlook and the global brand of FC Barcelona will look spread the ethics and youth team focus of the club that have installed it as the pinnacle of footballing style in Europe.
Ronaldinho joined club president Josep Maria Bartomeu in New York City, with the Brazilian legend pulling the switch to send the Empire State Building beaming blue and red vibes into the New York skyline. New York's famous 21 Club restaurant also paid tribute to the arrival of Barcelona by kitting out their iconic iron lawn jockeys statues in Barca shirts. Barca already work with a number of American sponsors, including Nike, Gatorade, Stanley Black & Decker and Gillette, and with the club's vice-president of marketing and communications, Manel Arroyo, leading the NYC HQ it's the ideal pitch to play the commercial game.
