FC Barcelona

Lore & Background

Barcelona are one of the world's most decorated clubs. Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 82 trophies: 29 La Liga, 32 Copa del Rey, 2 Copa de la Liga, 16 Supercopa de España and 3 Copa Eva Duarte titles, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barça has won 22 European and worldwide titles: five UEFA Champions League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, a joint record two Latin Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. Barcelona was ranked first in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics Club World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015, and occupies the ninth position on the UEFA club rankings as of May 2023. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, and matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clásico. Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, along with Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. In 2009, Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Champions League titles, and also became the first European football club to win six competitions in a single year. In 2011, the club became European champions again, winning five trophies. This Barcelona team, which won fourteen trophies in just four years under manager Pep Guardiola, is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest of all time. By winning their fifth Champions League trophy in 2015 under Luis Enrique, Barcelona became the first European football club in history to achieve the continental treble twice.

In Their Own Story

Inside the Chamartín stadium, the air was thick with hostility. The Barcelona team had been pelted with stones on their way from the hotel. Coins rained onto the pitch before kickoff. Barcelona players later said they "feared for their lives." The referee's decisions compounded the intimidation. After Barinaga made it 3–0, Barcelona's Benito García was sent off for a tackle that his teammate Calvet called "completely normal." Madrid's José Llopis Corona recalled, "At which point, they got a bit demoralized." Barcelona's Ángel Mur countered, "At which point, we thought: 'go on then, score as many as you want.'" And Madrid did exactly that, scoring six goals in the final fifteen minutes of the first half. Juan Samaranch wrote: "In that atmosphere and with a referee who wanted to avoid any complications, it was humanly impossible to play... If the azulgranas had played badly, really badly, the scoreboard would still not have reached that astronomical figure. The point is that they did not play at all."

Reader's Guide

Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world, and the club has one of the largest social media followings in the world among sports teams. Barcelona players have won a joint record twelve Ballon d'Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record six FIFA World Player of the Year awards, with winners including Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. In 2010, three players who came through the club's youth academy—Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi—were chosen as the three best players in the world in the Ballon d'Or ranking, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football academy. Additionally, players representing the club have won a record eight European Golden Shoe awards.

Did You Know?

• Barcelona was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper.
• The club's motto is 'Més que un club' ('More than a club').
• Barcelona is owned and operated by its supporters.
• The club's traditional colors are dark shades of blue and garnet stripes, giving them the nickname Blaugrana.
• Barcelona has won a record 82 domestic trophies, including 29 La Liga titles.

Origins and Political Symbolism

The 1943 Copa del Generalísimo semi-final took place during the early years of Francisco Franco's dictatorship. The Spanish Cup had been renamed in Franco's honor. Barcelona were the defending champions, having won the previous season by beating Athletic Bilbao in the final. On route to the semi-finals, Barcelona had defeated RC Celta de Vigo and SD Ceuta. Madrid was appearing in the semi-finals for the first time since 1940, having beaten Español (needing a 2–0 play-off) and Xerez CD. The first leg at Les Corts ended with Barcelona winning 3–0. Madrid complained about all three goals that referee Fombona Fernández had allowed for Barcelona. The newspaper Ya reported the whistling from Barcelona's home supporters as a "clear intention to attack the representatives of Spain." Barcelona fans were subsequently banned from traveling to Madrid for the second leg.

Historical Dominance and Franco's Era

The match is inextricably linked to the Franco regime. Barcelona's president was dismissed after the match. Some months later, Real Madrid's president, Santiago Bernabéu, offered his excuses. The game has often been considered one of the most controversial in early 20th-century Spanish football. Some historians ascribe the match a lasting impact on both Madrid and Catalonia's football history, contributing to the birth of the well-known football rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. According to Sid Lowe, the game "first formed the identification of Madrid as the team of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims." Real Madrid went on to lose the final to Athletic Bilbao in extra time.

Global Scale and Cultural Intensity

The 11–1 scoreline is one of the most lopsided results in the history of El Clásico. The match is often listed as one of the most controversial games in the history of Spanish football. Barcelona players said they "feared for their lives" due to the hostility of Madrid fans and some decisions of the referee. The match featured an 8–0 lead at half time, with six goals scored in the final fifteen minutes of the first half (minutes 31', 35', 37', 39', 43', and 44'). Two further goals were ruled out for offside. Both Pruden and Barinaga completed hat-tricks in the first half, with Barinaga adding a fourth in the 87th minute. Barcelona's only goal came in the 89th minute from Mariano Martín.

Modern Identity and Societal Impact

The 1943 semi-final is remembered as the match that created the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Fernando Argila, Barcelona's reserve goalkeeper, said, "There was no rivalry. Not, at least, until that game." The match is not celebrated in Madrid; according to Sid Lowe, "it is not a result that has been particularly celebrated in Madrid." Instead, the 11–1 occupies a far more prominent place in Barcelona's history as the game that first identified Madrid as the team of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims. The match continues to be referenced in discussions of the political dimensions of El Clásico.