KEY POINTS:
Xavi Roca says he will treat today's O-League match as if he was playing for Barcelona against Real Madrid.
He may need to water down his expectations, given it's more realistic to expect 1000 fans at Kiwitea St today when Auckland City host Waitakere United rather than 100,000 at Barcelona's Camp Nou but he has been told it's New Zealand's equivalent.
The cross-town rivals will meet for the 19th time in their explosive history and it will be the first time the new imports of both clubs will be on show. If their CVs are anything to go by, they will be worth watching.
Auckland City have recruited Roca, 34, who played for Barcelona in 1996 and went on to make 60 La Liga appearances for the Catalan giants, Villareal and Espanyol, to go with former All White Ivan Vicelich and former Korean international Ki-Hyung Lee.
Waitakere have signed Brazilian attacking midfielder Adriano, 25, who played six Champions League matches for Swiss side FC Thun in 2005, as well as a couple of Uefa Cup games later that year, before turning out for clubs in Japan and Brazil.
The wonders of You Tube reveal Adriano to be an exciting prospect and Waitakere firmly believe they have a gem on their hands, even if only for a short time.
"From what we have seen so far, he has the ability to play at a level we are not used to seeing," Waitakere coach Chris Milicich said. "I think he's going to be a very, very good player for us."
Adriano has been signed until December's Club World Cup in Japan, after which Milicich expects him to be picked up by another club. It's an arrangement that works for both Waitakere and the player.
"The chance to be seen in New Zealand, Australia and at the Club World Cup can help me perhaps further my career in the A-League or the J-League [in Japan]," Adriano said. "As soon as I had the opportunity to come to New Zealand, I came straight away."
Roca's opportunity came about by more fortuitous circumstances. During a trip to Barcelona, Auckland coach Colin Tuaa was staying with his assistant Ramon Tribulietx, who bumped into Roca on the way to watch Barcelona play Espanyol. He introduced him to Tuaa at the game and what started as a joke became an offer to sign with Auckland.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for me. This will be a new experience, which is very important for me," Roca says.
"A new culture, new football, new city and country. It's very important we win this year, especially the O-League, so next year we can go to Abu Dhabi for the Mundialito of Clubs [Club World Cup]."
Roca, a right back, was signed by Barcelona as an 11-year-old and played youth internationals for Spain. He rose through the ranks but was kept out of the first team by Albert `Chapi' Ferrer, who played more than 300 times for Barca before a stint with Chelsea, as well as prolific Spain goalscorer Luis Enrique, who played for a time at fullback.
Despite playing only one La Liga game for Barca, Roca was captain of the club's second team that played in the Spanish second division and enjoyed the trappings that came with celebrity.
"Anyone who plays for Barcelona or Real Madrid is a very important person in Spain," he says with a grin. "They are the top. I was good enough to play in the first team but didn't always get an opportunity."
He left, though, frustrated at a lack of first-team action and, after stints with Logrones and Toledo in the second division, played La Liga for Villareal and Espanyol.
He admits he doesn't know what he has got himself in for. "The football in New Zealand is crazy," he says. "It's very quick. It's go, go, come, go. For me, it's very different and a bit like English football." He refutes suggestions it might be something of a
holiday or semi-retirement.
"I am a football player," he says.
Waitakere United have had the wood on Auckland City in recent times, winning three and drawing two of last season's five derby games. They deserve to go into today's O-League opener as favourites. Pressure is said to be mounting on Tuaa already but he will go a long way to easing that with a win today. For him, it is just as important as when Barcelona and Real Madrid meet.
