1987: Club América vs FC Barcelona

Lore & Background

Barcelona is one of the world's most decorated clubs, with a record 82 domestic trophies and 22 European and worldwide titles. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, known as El Clásico. Barcelona players have won a joint record twelve Ballon d'Or awards and a record six FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

In Their Own Story

The floodlights hummed to life over the Azteca and the crowd—sixty thousand strong, maybe more—settled into a low, rolling murmur that sounded like the sea heard from inside a shell. A young América defender, still in his first season with the first team, pressed his palms together and exhaled. Across the touchline, Barcelona's players stretched in their familiar blue, and the contrast of the two kits under the lights felt almost theatrical. The referee raised his whistle. The first touch of the ball drew a collective intake of breath from the entire bowl, as if the stadium itself were holding its lungs. For ninety minutes, that breath never fully released. When the final whistle finally cut through the noise, the young defender walked off the pitch with grass stains on his knees and a grin he could not explain, only feel. He would tell that story, slightly embellished, for the rest of his life.

Reader's Guide

The club's official anthem is the 'Cant del Barça'. Barcelona traditionally play in dark shades of blue and garnet stripes, hence the nickname Blaugrana. The club's motto is 'Més que un club' ('More than a club').

Did You Know?

• Barcelona is one of three founding members of La Liga that have never been relegated since 1929.
• In 2009, Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and UEFA Champions League.
• The club's first silverware was the Copa Macaya in 1902.
• Joan Gamper, the club's founder, served as president on five occasions between 1908 and 1925.