FC Barcelona History - More than a club

HISTORY - OUR CLUB

THE MYTH IS BORN

On the 29th of November 1899, Joan Gamper founded the Football Club Barcelona. He chose the famous blue and claret tones as they are the colours of the Swiss canton he came from. During the 20th century, "Barça", the Club's popular name, became a Barcelona and a Catalunya symbol, and the myth was born. Kubala, Suárez, Cruyff, Maradona and currently Eto'o and Ronaldinho, among many other stars, have signed up for this Club throughout the years.

LES CORTS STADIUM

The first FC Barcelona stadium built in Les Corts was also known as "The Cathedral of Football" and was inaugurated on the 20th of May 1922. The official stadium nowadays, Camp Nou, was inaugurated during the patron saint festivity in Barcelona, La Mercè, on the 24th of September 1957.

THE 30's

Joan Gamper died on the 30th of July 1930. The decade which was about to start had a fatal beginning and the Club entered a period of institutional decline: many members left the Club, bad sports results and much Franco's supporters political pressure. The Civil War in 1936 had disastrous consequences for the FC Barcelona. Josep Suñol, President of the Club, was killed by Franco's soldiers near Guadalajara. However, Barça kept alive and in 1936 decided to go on tour around Mexico and the USA in an attempt to save the Club's financial problems. In March 1938 the fascists dropped a bomb on the FC Barcelona Social Club and caused serious damage. In 1939, the Franco's troops caused the Club many problems because it had already become a symbol to the Catalan people. The number of members also dropped to 3,486.

THE LATIN CUP

• The 40's. The Club gradually recovered from the situation despite their internal difficulties.
• June 1943. The Chamartín scandal: Barsa lost a match at the Madrid stadium and the players were threatened by the referee and the police. Piñeyro, the fascist president, resigned from the presidency of the Club.
• Late 40's. Better times are to come as well as important victories: Barsa won the National League Titles 1944-45, 1947-48 and 1948-49.
• 1949. The FC Barcelona won the Latin Cup Title, their 1st international success.
• The FC Barcelona celebrated their 50th anniversary with 24,893 members.

KUBALA

Ladislao Kubala arrived in Barcelona in June 1950 and made the FC Barcelona become an unbeatable team thanks to their magic forward line: Basora, César, Kubala, Moreno and Manchón. Between 1951 and 1953, Barsa won every competition played (Spanish Leagues 1951-52 and 1952-53 and Spanish Cups 1950-51, 1951-52 and 1952-53). From that golden period, it is important to emphasize the season 1951-52, in which they obtained the Five Cups: Spanish League, Spanish Cup, Latin Cup, and the Eva Duarte and Martini Rossi trophies.

THE CAMP NOU STADIUM, 1957

Kubala was too huge a figure for Les Corts stadium and soon Francesc Miró-Sans promoted the building of the Camp Nou pitch, which got inaugurated on the 24th September 1957. The new stadium had a capacity for 90,000 spectators.

Barça won the Spanish Leagues 1958-59 and 1959-60, and the Fairs' Cups 1957-1958 and 1959-60, coached by Helenio Herrera with such excellent players as Kocsis, Czibor, Evaristo, Kubala, Eulogio Martínez, Suárez, Villaverde, Olivella, Gensana, Segarra, Gràcia, Vergés and Tejada.
The 60's were a period of crisis (Barsa won the Spanish Cups 1963 and 1968 and the Fairs' Cup 1966, only). However, it was then that the sentence "more than a Club" was born. Barsa was something more than a sports club: the Club and its colours became a way to defend the Catalan national identity.

• 1973. The Dutch Johan Cruyff signed-up.
• Barsa had an extraordinay forward line: Cruyff, Recah, Asenso, Sotil and Marcial.
• They won the Spanish League 1973-74.
• The Club reached 69.566 members and became the most powerful sports organization after 75 years.

JOSEP LLUÍS NUÑEZ

Under Josep Lluís Núñez's presidency, FC Barcelona enjoyed one of their best periods: they conquered the Basil Cup Winner's Cup with Venables as coach. Four consecutive Spanish League Title, Spanish Cup and Super Cup and the Wembley European Champions' Cup with under Cruyff's lead. With Van Gaal as the Barsa coach, two consecutive cups and both the Spanish League and Cup 1998 were won.

After 22 years Núñez left the Club and Joan Gaspar was appointed President. But due to the Barsa's bad results the coach then, Serra Ferrer, was replaced by Carles Reixach. The arrival of the current President, Joan Laporta, and coach, Rijkaard, was seen as the beginning of a new era and the blue and claret people were hopeful again after 5 years with no remarkable victories. The team won the Spanish League Title 2004-05 and both the Spanish League and the European Champions' Cup 2005-06.

TODAY'S BARSA

The FC Barcelona is currently a sports club which includes basketball, handball, hockey, athletism, ice-hockey, figure skating, indoor football, rugby, baseball, volleyball and women's football and volleyball divisions. Besides, the Barcelona football team is the only European one to have qualified for European competitions every year since its inauguration in 1955. There are now about 105,706 members and 1,508 supporters' clubs.