THE EXCITEMENT was at fever pitch for one Blackpool footie player when she jetted off to Spain for 18th at the weekend and met some famous footballers to boot!

Rachel Duncan, who celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday (Wednesday), left her Layton home with mum Pauline and dad Graham last Thursday for a weekend city break with a difference.

She w as treated to a VIP trip to Barcelona Football Club and ended up practising with none other than Brazilian World Cup ace Ronaldinho!

"I'm a big football fan and it's always been an ambition to get to Barcelona's Nou Camp and go on a tour," said Rachel, of Douglas Avenue, Layton. I couldn't believe it - a dream come true."

The family decided that for her 18th they would treat Rachel to tickets to the Barcelona v Zaragoza match.

Her mum also wrote to Barcelona Football Club to ask if they could tour the Nou Camp too.

They heard nothing until they got a phone call last Thursday -- the day before they were due to fly out -- to say Rachel would be given a VIP welcome. The highlight came during a Sunday morning tour of the Nou Camp.

"There was only about six in the tour group and I was the only footballer. The tour guide was really interested. Then he said the players were having to put in extra training before the match.

"Next thing we know we can hear boots coming down the stairs and Ronaldinho comes out. Then Sergio Garcia comes out. I was really shocked.Then one of them kicked the ball over to me. I was standing there with this ball at my feet so I flicked it up a bit and volleyed it back to them and the were really amazed to see it."

The players also posed for photographs. "They were brilliant. They were signing autographs too and they had so much time for everybody."

Sporty Rachel, captain of the Blackpool Wren Rovers Ladies' team, credits her 21-year-old cousin David Robinson with sparking her love of football.

"He trained me from being a tot. I played football from an early age on the park with the boys, so I was just one of the lads as a youngster."

And it's not the first time she's had a dream come true. I played in an Adidas national tournament with Collegiate High School, Blackpool. We ended up being the winners of the North section and played the South section at Wembley.

"I scored, we won 5-0 and we got an all expenses paid trip to New York to the 1999 Women's World Cup. Pele was there. It was a really great atmosphere."

Rachel is now studying for a national diploma in sport at Blackpool and The Fylde College. She is planning to gain work experience in football public relations.

She added: "I want to say a big thank you to my mum and dad, especially to mum for writing that letter to Barcelona. I don't know any other mums who would have done that. Scoring at Wembley was my greatest moment, but when it comes to watching, the Nou Camp was in another league."