Gordon's Barca unveiling delayed by 8 hours due to paperwork, nearly half of reporters left

According to Mundo Deportivo, Gordon's presentation at Barcelona was delayed by 8 hours due to procedural issues.

The report states that everything was ready and arranged with British punctuality. The signing was scheduled for 1 PM, with a press conference half an hour later. Gordon hoped to return to England immediately to get a few days of rest before joining the England squad for World Cup training.

However, some seemingly minor finishing touches led to a wait of over 8 hours. For the nearly 60 journalists waiting inside the Barcelona club facilities for the English winger's first speech, it was a long and extremely long day.

The terms of the agreement were clear, but the contract text still needed finalization. Lawyers reviewed all documents, checking every word and phrase. Gordon waited for a phone call at the Melia Tower Hotel. Barcelona was unable to send final confirmation to his phone. The club's legal team was racing against time to resolve some bureaucratic issues and tax matters, which continuously delayed the official announcement.

But things never went smoothly. The process of sending relevant documents to the Saudi owners of Newcastle also slowed down the deal, preventing the press conference from being held.

England also requested a document to formally complete the transfer, and all employment contract related documents had to be handled properly. The delay far exceeded expectations, speculation, and everyone's hopes.

Everything seemed imminent but never truly arrived. Many recalled the troublesome finishing details that also caused problems when Cancelo joined. Such comparisons were almost inevitable.

To everyone's surprise, sporting director Deco and technical secretary Bojan had previously made a lightning trip to England specifically to finalize the signing. The entire recruitment process moved even faster than the speed at which his presentation was arranged. This led to various jests.

Even president-elect Laporta and acting president Rafa Yuste had to pause their work for lunch. Journalists were offered burgers, as well as ham croquettes and stew croquettes.

Throughout this long "workday" wait, people kept hearing "it will be done soon," but it never actually happened. The signing was continuously delayed, causing great anxiety for Barcelona.

It wasn't until after 9 PM, when nearly half of the journalists had already left, that Gordon finally appeared before the media.

And he brought a surprise: he spoke a few words in Spanish, which immediately excited the journalists present.

The English player spoke quite fluently in Spanish. One key reason is that for the past two years, he had been practicing Spanish with the help of a Spanish physiotherapist at Newcastle, because ever since he was a child, he had harbored the dream, desire, and firm belief of playing for Barcelona.