Why Did Barcelona Wait Until 1992 for Their First Champions League Trophy?
Barcelona: One of Spain’s Oldest Established Clubs
Barcelona was founded on November 29, 1899, three years before Real Madrid, established in 1902. Early on, Barça achieved remarkable success; in 1900, they competed in the first Catalan Regional Championship and secured second place, going on to win the Catalan Championship the following year with an undefeated 8-game streak. By 1924, in celebration of their 25th anniversary, Barcelona had already won five Copa del Rey titles and boasted over 10,000 members. When La Liga was officially established in 1929 with ten participating teams, Barça dominated, claiming the league’s first trophy with a record of 11 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses.
Spanish Civil War Erupts: Barça Faces Severe Repression
After the Spanish Civil War broke out, tensions over the Catalonia region led to severe repercussions for FC Barcelona. The club’s president at the time, Josep Sunyol, was secretly executed by Spain’s dictator, Franco. To erase all traces of Catalan identity from FC Barcelona, the regime altered the club’s badge and name. Furthermore, many Barça players who had played matches abroad faced two-year suspensions, with some even being exiled from the country.
One of the strongest pieces of evidence of Barcelona’s oppression came in the 1943 Copa del Rey semifinal Barcelona vs Real Madrid. After a decisive 3-0 victory in the first leg, Barcelona suffered an astonishing 1-11 loss in the second leg.It’s said that Barcelona players were threatened by armed personnel in the locker room before the match, forcing them to abandon any hope of competing and leading to the infamous 1-11 loss.
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In the first 25 years of La Liga, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao were the strongest teams, with Barça winning six league titles and Athletic five, while Real Madrid only claimed two. However, during Franco’s regime, Barça, representing Catalan identity, faced significant repression. Real Madrid, being a Madrid-based team, received Franco’s support and was granted the “Real” title again. Additionally, an unfair court ruling in the dispute over Alfredo Di Stéfano’s transfer further weakened Barça’s position. During Franco’s era (1939-1975), Real Madrid secured 14 La Liga titles, surpassing Barça in total championships. It wasn’t until the 1984/85 season, after Franco’s rule ended, that Barça finally regained its momentum, winning their first league title of the Franco’s rule ended.
Before the 1991-92 season, only league champions were allowed to compete in the European Cup (now the Champions League). Unfortunately, this period coincided with a downturn for Barcelona, who rarely won the league title and often had to settle for competing in the Cup Winners’ Cup. Meanwhile, Real Madrid claimed half of their Champions League trophies during Franco’s era. This is why, prior to the 1990s, Barcelona had yet to win a European Cup.
It wasn’t until 1992 that Johan Cruyff’s “Dream Team” led Barcelona to their first Champions League Trophy, defeating Sampdoria 1-0 in the final. The starting lineup for that historic match included Zubizarreta, Ferrer, Koeman, Nando, Eusebio, Guardiola, Bakero, Laudrup, Juan Carlos, Salinas, and Stoichkov.
SOURCE：
UEFA Champions League | UEFA.com
