Football Explained

‘That night in Barcelona’

Popular phrase often used by Clive Tyldesley, in reference to a flawless evening spent in the Catalan capital in 1999. During a romantic long weekend, Tyldesley and his wife Jane arrived at a tapas bar on Las Ramblas recommended to them by the late Brian Moore, only to find that their reservation had been lost. It all looked to be going wrong for the couple until the night was saved at the last when a family of Liverpool fans recognised the commentator and insisted that he and his wife join them for dinner.

After enjoying a complimentary small jug of sangria, the Tyldesleys devoured a sumptuous meal of Spanish classics like Patatas bravas and Doritos, entertained throughout by a diminutive waiter who repeatedly recited to the table the famous “I’m from Barcelona” line from TV’s Fawlty Towers.

The superb night was capped for Tyldesley when he conquered a local bully who had aggressively challenged him to a game of FIFA ’98 on the restaurant’s Sega Dreamcast. Drawing 1-1 in injury time against the burly Spaniard’s chosen team of Bayern Munich, Tyldesley said "Can Manchester United score? They always score!" moments before neat joystick control allowed his Ole Gunnar Solskjær character to sneak in unmarked and prod the ball home at the far post.