La Liga Title Decider 2004 vs Valencia

Lore & Background

The history of Barcelona has often been political. Though it was a club created and run by foreigners, Barcelona gradually became a club associated with Catalan values. In Spain's transition to autocracy in 1925, Catalonia became increasingly hostile towards the central government in Madrid. The hostility enhanced Barcelona's image as a focal point for Catalonism, and when Francisco Franco banned the use of the Catalan language, the stadium of Barcelona became one of the few places the people could express their dissatisfaction. The Spanish transition to democracy in 1978 has not dampened the club's image of Catalan pride.

Reader's Guide

The club was founded on 29 November 1899 after Joan Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes. Eleven players attended the founding meeting. The blue and red colours of the shirt were first worn in a match against Hispania in 1900. The prevailing Catalonia theory is that the colours were taken from the rugby team of Merchant Taylors' Boys' School, Crosby.

In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya in 1901–02, and played in the first Copa del Rey final. In 1908, Joan Gamper took over the presidency to save the club from bankruptcy. On 14 March 1909, the team moved into the Camp de la Indústria. The club won three successive Campionats de Catalunya between 1909 and 1911, three Copa del Rey in four years between 1910 and 1913, and four successive Pyrenees Cup between 1910 and 1913. In 1928, Barcelona won the Spanish Cup, and the following year won the inaugural La Liga title.

Did You Know?

• The club's first-ever female member was Edelmira Calvetó, admitted on 1 January 1913, making Barcelona the first club in Spain to open its doors to women.
• On 4 February 1917, Barcelona held its first testimonial match to honour Ramón Torralba.
• In 1926, the directors of Barcelona publicly claimed, for the first time, to operate a professional football club.
• On 30 July 1930, Joan Gamper committed suicide after a period of depression.