Bobby Robson and his assistant in FC Barcelona (1996-1997)

Bobby Robson is the last of seven English managers of FC Barcelona’s history: John Barrow (1917), Jack Greenwell (1917-1923, 1931-1933), Ralph Kirby (1924-1925), James Bellamy (1929-1931), Vic Buckingham (1970-1971) and Terry Venables (1984-1987). Robson arrived at Barça in 1996 with the arduous task to replacing Johan Cruyff. Barcelona’s vice-president Joan Gaspart offered him the job during a phone call in the summer of 1996. José Mourinho was Robson’s assistant in Spanish team. He stayed in Barça since 1999-2000 and was also Louis Van Gaal’s assistant coach. Portuguese win two Spanish Cups, two Spanish Leagues, one Spanish Super Cup, one Spanish European Cup and one UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup.

Bobby Robson was the coach of the team just for one year because Van Gaal was supposed to be the manager during the season 1997-1998. During his only season in Barça, Robson won one Spanish Cup, one Spanish Super Cup and one UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup. He is also remembered in the club because he authorized the signing of Ronaldo Nazario for the team. With the arrival of Van Gaal, Bobby Robson was Barça’s General Manage, but he moved to PSV one year later.

 

Walter Wild, the first president of FC Barcelona

On the 22nd October 1899, Hans Gamper and eleven more football fans created Foot-Ball Club Barcelona. Six Spaniards (Lluís d’Ossó, Bartomeu Terradas, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol and Josep Llobet), three English men (Walter Wild, John Parsons and Willian Parsons), two Swiss men (Otto Maier and Hans Gamper) and one German man (Otto Kunzle) founded Barça after Gamper published an advertisement in Los Deportes in order to find people to create a club.

Walter Wild was the first president of FC Barcelona asked by Hans Gamper because he was the oldest of 12 members. He combined this role with playing and also took part in the first match in Barça’s history. It was on the 8th December 1899 against a group of British men living in Barcelona. Wild was elected three times as president and was 512 days in the charge. In 1901, he went to England for working reasons and left the presidency of FC Barcelona. He played ten matches with the team during his time in Barça.

The history of FC Barcelona is clearly connected with English and European football. Only six out of the 12 members that created the club were Spanish and Barça’s founder was born in Switzerland. The colours of the club are blue and red because Gamper’s favourite football club was Basel.

2011-2012 UEFA Champions League Semifinal (2nd leg), Barça 2-2 Chelsea

After spending 850 million euros, Chelsea won the Champions League last year. For a decade, Abramovich has been spending a lot of money in order to reign in Europe.  In 2008 the Blues lost the title in the final against Manchester United (with Cristiano Ronaldo); in 2012 Terry, Lampard, Drogba and company conquered the first UCL of the club. Chelsea beat Bayern on penalties (4-3) in Allianz Arena of Munich and became the first London team to win the tournament.

Chelsea beat Napoli and Benfica in round 16 and quarterfinals. In semifinals the Blues were paired with Barça, the last champion of the competition and main favorite to win the Champions League 2011-2012. The British team had not played well during all the season and got to the match with few possibilities to pass, but in Stamford Bridge they beat Barça (1-0) playing a good game. Drogba scored the goal; Alexis and Pedro hit the post.

Despite the 1-0 of the 1st leg, Barça was still the favourite one. In Camp Nou, the local team took the lead with a goal scored by Busquets (35’). Two minutes later, the referee expelled Terry and Iniesta scored the 2-0 (43’). With only 10 players, Chelsea scored the 2-1 (Ramires) after halftime. In the second half FC Barcelona needed one goal to pass. Messi missed a penalty (49’) but Barça carried on attacking all the time. However, the Blues defended very well. Finally, Torres scored the final 2-2 that lead Chelsea to the final of the Champions League.

Barça: Valdés; Piqué (Alves, 26’), Puyol, Mascherano; Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta; Cuenca (Tello, 67’), Messi, Cesc (Keita, 74’); Alexis.

Chelsea: Cech; Ivanovic, Terry, Cahill (Bosingwa, 12’), Cole; Meireles, Mikel; Ramires, Lampard, Mata (Kalou, 58’); Drogba (Torres, 80’).

The opening of Cornellà-El Prat (2009), RCD Espanyol 3-0 Liverpool

In July 2009, Liverpool and Espanyol inaugurated Cornellà-El Prat Stadium. After twelve years of rent in Montjuic (the club went to the Olympic Stadium when Sarrià was demolished), RCD Espanyol, the second team of Barcelona, opened up the new football field with a match against one of the latest winners of the Champions League. It was a very special game for «periquitos». They filled the stadium.

It was the first and only match in Cornellà for Dani Jarque, captain of Espanyol. He had a heart attack and died, aged 26, six days after the game against Liverpool. Torres, Reina, Gerrard, Carraguer or Mascherano, some of the best players at the moment, played against Raúl Tamudo, topscorer of the club, De la Peña and Luis Garcia, the first one to score in Cornellà-El Prat Stadium.

Luis Garcia scored 1-0 in minute 20’. During the second half, Ben Sahar scored 2-0 and 3-0. Although it was a friendly match, the game is always remembered by «periquitos». Seven days after the match against Liverpool, many Espanyol fans went back to Cornella in order to say a last «goodbye» to Dani Jarque. The first official rival in Cornellà was Real Madrid.

RCD Espanyol: Kameni; Pillud, Jarque, Pareja, David García; Moisés Hurtado, De la Peña; Luis García, Iván Alonso, Nakamura; Tamudo. Also played: Cristian Álvarez, Chica, Márquez, Callejón, Verdú, Sahar, Coro, Víctor Ruiz, Lola, Dídac Vilà and Roncaglia.

Liverpool: Reina; Johnson, San José, Carraguer, Insúa; Mascherano, Leiva; Kuyt, Gerrard, Benayoun; Torres. Also played Babel, Degen, Dossena, Spearing, Riera, Plessis, Voronin, N’Gog, Kelly and Xabi Alonso.

1998-1999 UEFA Champions League Final, Manchester Utd 2 – 1 Bayern Munich

In Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern Munich played in 1999 one of the most memorable matches of modern football. It was the final of the Champions League 2008/2009. The ‘Fergie babes’ matched up against Kahn, Matthäus, Effenberg and company. None of the clubs had won the title since more than ten years ago and it was an unbeatable opportunity to reign again in Europe.

The red devils played without Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, two of the best players of Manchester United, and they got to the final after beating Kaiserslautern and Dynamo Kiev, Andriy Schevchenko’s team, top scorer of the competition; in quarterfinals and semifinals. Bayern overcame Internazionale and Juventus. Man. Utd and the Bavarians had already faced in group stage.

In the final of Camp Nou, Bayern took the lead near the 5th minute with a goal-kick of Basler. Along the match, the German team was better than Manchester and it hit the post twice. However, in the last two minutes of injury time, Teddy Sheringham (91’) and Ole Solskjaer (93’) scored two goals so Manchester won. It was the first Champions League of Sir Alex Ferguson, named UEFA manager of the year, and Man. Utd was the first English club to win the competition since 1984. With this trophy, Manchester completed the Threble (FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League).

Manchester United: Schmeichel; Neville, Johnsen, Stam, Irwin; Giggs, Beckham, Butt, Blomqvist (Sheringham, 67’); Yorke (Solskjaer, 81’), Cole.

Bayern Munich: Kahn; Babbel, Linke, Matthäus (Fink, 80’), Kuffour, Tarnat; Effenberg, Jeremies; Basler (Salihamidzic, 90’), Jancker, Zickler (Scholl, 71’).