Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona

RCD Espanyol Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona History Foundation and club culture Espanyol was founded on 28 October 1900 by Ángel Rodríguez, an engineering student at the University of Barcelona. The club's original home was in the well-off district of Sarria and was initially known as the Society Espanyol de Football. One year later, the club changed its name to Club Spanish Football. Espanyol was the first club in Spain to be formed exclusively by Spanish fans of the game.

Espanyol The club originally played in bright yellow shirts, with the colour of the shorts being left to the individual player. A friend of the club founder owned a textile business and happened to have an abundance of yellow material left over from a job. In 1910, the club changed its name to Club Spanish Sports and chose blue and white stripes as shirt colours and as the central colours of the club badge. Blue and white was chosen in homage to the colours appearing on the shield of the great Catalan Admiral Roger de Lluria, who sailed the Mediterranean protecting Catalonia's interests in the Middle Ages. The club were successful from the very beginning, winning the Campionat de Catalunya in 1903 and subsequently playing in the Copa del Rey.

In 1906, the club folded due to financial reasons and most of the players joined the X Sporting Club. This club won the Campionat de Catalunya three times between 1906 and 1908. In 1909, this club was effectively relaunched as Club Deportivo Español, and in 1910, they adopted the present day colours in honour of Admiral Roger de Llúria, an Italian naval hero.

Espanyol are one of several Spanish football clubs granted patronage by the Spanish crown and thus entitled to use Real in their names and the royal crown on their badge. This right was granted to Espanyol in 1912 by Alfonso XIII and the club subsequently became known as Real Club Deportivo Español.

Following the abdication of Alfonso XIII in 1931 and the declaration of the Second Spanish Republic, due to prohibition of royal symbols, the club adopted the more Catalan/republican friendly name, Club Esportiu Espanyol. After the Spanish Civil War, and the subsequent prohibition of the Catalan language, the name reverted to Real Club Deportivo Español.

The club took the Catalan spelling for its name in February 1995. The word Deportiu in Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona is a Catalanised form of the original word Deportivo (Castilian), despite the correct word being Esportiu in the Catalan language. This choice was made in order to retain the initials RCD in the club's name.

With their win in the Copa del Rey the previous season, Espanyol entered the UEFA Cup. Following a 5–3 aggregate success against Artmedia Bratislava they were drawn in Group F, along with Dutch giants Ajax, Belgian minnows Zulte Waregem, Czech side Sparta Prague, and Austrian side Austria Wien. Espanyol were group winners, victorious in all four of their ties.

Their opponent in the Round of 32 was Italian side Livorno, who had just scraped into the knockout stages. Espanyol were 4–1 victors on aggregate, recording a 2–1 win in Tuscany and finishing the job 2–0 in Barcelona. Next up was Israeli side Maccabi Haifa, and after a dour 0–0 draw in the away leg, Espanyol thrashed their Israeli counterparts 4–0 in the second leg. Many were starting to see Espanyol as favourites to go all the way to the final in Glasgow's Hampden Park.

However, if that were to be the case, Espanyol would have to defeat Portuguese giants Benfica, two-time European Cup winners. Espanyol did not seem fazed by this, as they raced into a 3–0 lead in Spain. However, Benfica fought back and scored two away goals to leave the tie firmly in the balance. Nevertheless, Espanyol survived a daunting trip to Lisbon, coming away with a 0–0 draw, which was enough to book them a place in the semi-finals.

Germans Werder Bremen lay in wait for the Catalan side in the last four, but once again, Espanyol produced a brilliant home performance to virtually seal the tie on the night. A 3–0 rout of the Germans put the Spanish firmly in control, and any real doubts about their passage to the final disappeared, with a 2–1 win in Bremen. In the final, held on 16 May in Glasgow, Scotland, Espanyol fell to fellow La Liga side Sevilla, losing 3–1 in a shootout following a 2–2 draw. They became the only football team in UEFA Cup history to remain unbeaten in the tournament, yet didn't take home the trophy. Walter Pandiani, who would leave the club at the end of the season, was the top goal scorer of the UEFA Cup of that season
Full name Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona
Nickname (s) Periquitos (Parakeets)
Blanquiblaus (White and Blues)
Founded 28 October 1900
(as Sociedad Española de Football)
Ground Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spai (Capacity: 40,500) Chairman Daniel Sánchez Llibre Manager Mauricio Pochettino League La Liga 2009-10 La Liga, 11th

Orgullosos del Deporte Español: Selección Española de Futbol HD

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FC Villarreal Official Football Club

FC Villarreal Official Football Club The club was founded in 1923 and played in regional leagues until the Spanish Civil War, during which Spanish football went into a hiatus. After the war, the club played in various regional leagues as well as the Tercera División until the 1970–71 season, when Villarreal first played in the Segunda División for two consecutive seasons, at the end of which the club was relegated to the Tercera División once again. After playing in the Segunda División B for a few seasons in the late 1980s, Villarreal managed to solidify themselves as a Segunda División club starting with the 1992–93 season.
On 24 May 1998 Villarreal sealed promotion to the Primera División for the 1998–99 season, which started with an intimidating match against giants Real Madrid in the Santiago Bernabéu. After a difficult season, Villarreal were again relegated to the Segunda División for the 1999–2000 season, in which they finished third, again earning promotion to La Liga de las Estrellas, the Primera División, where they have remained up to the present day.

FC Villarreal After finishing seventh a year later, Villarreal stayed near the bottom of the table for two seasons before defeating the Dutch team Heerenveen in the final to win their first European title, the Intertoto Cup in the summer of 2003, thereby qualifying for the UEFA Cup tournament. In the 2003–04 season, Villarreal reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing to neighbours and eventual champions Valencia. That summer, however, they won the Intertoto Cup again, qualifying for that coming season's UEFA Cup tournament, in which they would reach the quarter-finals. They bowed out in the quarter-finals to Dutch side AZ, losing 3–2 on aggregate. During the same 2004–05 season, Villarreal finished in 3rd place in La Liga, earning the club their first direct qualification to a European tournament; the Champions League.

FC Villarreal The 2005–06 season brought the club considerable European success and recognition, due to their consistent performances in the Champions League. In the qualifying round stage, Villarreal controversially defeated English side Everton with a 4–2 aggregate score with two 2–1 victories. In the group stage, Villarreal were to be in the same group as Portuguese champions Benfica, French club Lille, and English giants Manchester United. Remaining undefeated throughout the group stage, Villarreal were twice victorious (1–0 each against Benfica away and Lille at home) and earned four draws, including two scoreless draws with Manchester United. They topped their group and progressed to the knock-out stages along with Benfica. The club progressed to the quarter-finals in their Champions League debut by defeating the Scottish club Rangers 3–3 on the away goals rule (a 2–2 draw in Glasgow and a 1–1 draw at home gave the Spanish side one more away goal than their opponents).

El Submarino Amarillo drew Italian giants Internazionale in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The first leg was played at the San Siro on 29 March 2006. Playing at the San Siro, Diego Forlán scored inside the first minute of the match, but Villarreal lost 2–1 as Inter took a lead to the return leg at El Madrigal on 4 April. Villarreal, however, continued their unbeaten home record in the Champions League as they beat the Italian giants 1–0 in the second leg to qualify for the semi-finals on the away goals rule (the tie ended 2–2 on aggregate, but because of Forlán's goal in Milan, Villarreal advanced). During that game, left-back Rodolfo Arruabarrena turned a back header from Juan Román Riquelme free kick past Inter's goalkeeper Francesco Toldo to score the decisive goal of the tie. In the semi-finals, Villarreal narrowly lost out to Arsenal on a 1–0 aggregate scoreline following Arsenal's goalkeeper Jens Lehmann's save of Juan Román Riquelme's last-minute penalty. Villarreal signed Robert Pirès from Arsenal in the summer following their Champions League semi-final defeat. Pires starred for the club until his departure at the end of the 2009-2010 season. The 2006–07 season started very badly but Villarreal were able to qualify for the UEFA Cup after eight consecutive wins. "The Yellow Submarines" were 13th after Round 30 of La Liga, but they climbed to finish fifth at the end of the season.

The club automatically qualified for the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League, due to them finishing second in La Liga the previous season. They drew Manchester United, for the second consecutive campaign, Celtic, and Aalborg BK. They made a good start by holding current European champions Manchester United to a goal-less draw at Old Trafford, a third 0–0 draw in a row against the English giants. A first win was sealed on 30 September by beating Gordon Strachan's Celtic 1–0 at El Madrigal, courtesy of a Marcos Senna free-kick. On 21 October, during a Champions League match against Aalborg, they scored six goals to three. The Spaniards went ahead through the knock-out stage after drawing 2–2 with Aalborg in Denmark and drawing goalless once again against the Lancastrians, on the last group-stage match, they lost to a already eliminated Celtic.

In the knock-out stage, they faced Panathinaikos, which left Villarreal with a 1–1 away advantage, despite this the Greeks were to lose 1–2 in Athens. Villarreal reached the quarter-finals for the second time in two tries, and were once again paired with Arsenal. The first leg saw a 1–1 draw by a free-kick by Marcos Senna, neutralized by an Emmanuel Adebayor volley. Theo Walcott, Emmanuel Adebayor, and Robin van Persie secured a 3–0 win for Arsenal on the return, knocking Villarreal out of the tournament.

For the 2009–10 season, Villarreal saw UEFA Europa League position, going ahead NAC Breda with ease by a 2–9 aggregeate victory. The share Group G with Levski Sofia, who they defeated 1–0 on their debut, and with Lazio and Red Bull Salzburg. They came 2nd in that group, behind Red Bull Salzburg. Consequently, Villarreal was drawn against VfL Wolfsburg -- who had dropped out of the UEFA Champions League -- in the Round of 32. Playing at home first, Villarreal secured a 2-2 draw. In the return leg at Wolfsburg's Volkswagen Arena, however, Villarreal would succumb to defeat by a 4-1 scoreline. This ended their European ambitions for the 2009-10 season.

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Real Madrid Official Football Club

Real Madrid Official Football Club Real Madrid FC de Fútbol Royal Madrid Football Club), commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. It is the most successful team in Spanish football and was voted by FIFA as the most successful football club of the 20th century, having won a record 31 La Liga titles, 17 Spanish "Copa del Rey" Cups, 8 Spanish Super Cups, a record 9 UEFA Champions Leagues, 2 UEFA Cups, 1 UEFA Supercup, and 3 Intercontinental Cups. Real Madrid was a founding member of FIFA and the now-defunct G–14 group of Europe's leading football clubs as well as its replacement, the European Club Association. The word "Real" in the club's name is the Spanish term for "royal", and was given by the King Alfonso XIII in 1920 together with the royal crown in the emblem – several other Spanish football teams also received this royal distinction: Real Sociedad, Real Unión de Irún, Real Betis, and Real Zaragoza.

Founded in 1902, Real Madrid has never been relegated from La Liga, the top league of Spanish football. The club established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football during the 1950s. In the 1980s, the club had one of the best teams (known as La Quinta del Buitre) in Spain and Europe, winning two UEFA Cups, five consecutive Spanish championships, one Spanish Cup and three Spanish Super Cups.

The team's traditional home kit colour is white, although it initially adopted a blue oblique stripe on the shirt. Its crest has been changed several times in attempts to modernise or re-brand it. The current crest is a modified version of the one first adopted in the 1920s. Real Madrid's home ground is the 80,354-seater Santiago Bernabéu football stadium in downtown Madrid, where it has played since 1947. The Bernabéu was the venue for the European cup (or UEFA Champions League) finals of 1957, 1969, 1980 and 2010.

Real Madrid holds long-standing rivalries with other football clubs, most notably FC Barcelona, with matches between the two teams referred to as "el Clásico". Unlike most European football clubs, Real Madrid's members (socios) have owned and operated the club since its inception. The club is the world's richest football club (€401m) in terms of revenue and the second most valuable worth over €950m in 2008.

History of Real Madrid C.F. Early years (1902–1945)

Real Madrid's origins go back to when football was introduced to Madrid by the academics and students of the Institución libre de enseñanza, which included several Oxbridge graduates. They founded Football Club Sky in 1897, playing on Sunday mornings at Moncloa. It split into two clubs in 1900: New Foot-Ball de Madrid and Club Español de Madrid The latter club split again in 1902, resulting in the formation of Madrid Football Club on 6 March 1902. Three years after its foundation, in 1905, Madrid FC won its first title after defeating Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Cup final. The club became one of the founding sides of the Royal Spanish Football Federation on 4 January 1909, when club president Adolfo Meléndez signed the foundation agreement of the Spanish FA. After moving between grounds the team moved to the Campo de O'Donnell in 1912. In 1920, the club's name was changed to Real Madrid after King Alfonso XIII granted the title of Real (Royal) to the club. In 1929, the first Spanish football league was founded. Real Madrid led the first league season until the last match, a loss to Athletic Bilbao, meant they finished runners-up to Barcelona. Real Madrid won its first League title in the 1931–32 season. Real won the League again the following year, becoming the first side to have won the championship twice. Santiago Bernabéu Yeste and European success (1945–1978)

Santiago Bernabéu Yeste became president of Real Madrid in 1945.[10] Under his presidency, the club, its stadium Santiago Bernabéu and its training facilities Ciudad Deportiva were rebuilt after the Spanish Civil War damages. Beginning in 1953, he embarked upon a strategy of signing world-class players from abroad, the most prominent of them being Alfredo Di Stéfano.

In 1955, acting upon the idea proposed by the French sports journalist and editor of L'Équipe Gabriel Hanot, Bernabéu, Bedrignan and Gusztáv Sebes created an exhibition tournament of invited teams from around Europe that would eventually become what today is known as the UEFA Champions League. It was under Bernabéu's guidance that Real Madrid established itself as a major force in both Spanish and European football. The club won the European Cup five times in a row between 1956 and 1960, which included the 7–3 Hampden Park final against Eintracht Frankfurt in 1960 After these five consecutive successes, Real was permanently awarded the original cup and earning the right to wear the UEFA badge of honour. The club won the European Cup for a sixth time in 1966 defeating FK Partizan 2–1 in the final with a team composed entirely of same nationality players, a first in the competition.This team became known as the "Ye-yé". The name "Ye-yé" came from the "Yeah, yeah, yeah" chorus in the Beatles' song "She Loves You" after four members of the team posed for Diario Marca dressed in Beatles wigs. The Ye-yé generation was also European Cup runner-up in 1962 and 1964.

In the 1970 Real Madrid won 5 league championships and 3 Spanish Cups. The club played its first UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final in 1971 and lost to English side Chelsea 2–1. On 2 July 1978, club president Santiago Bernabéu died while the World Cup was being played in Argentina. The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) decreed three days of mourning to honour him during the tournament. The following year, the club organized the first edition of the Santiago Bernabéu Trophy in the memory of its former president.

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La Liga League Valencia Football Club

La Liga League Valencia Football Club Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol (València Club de Futbol in Valencian, also known as Valencia C.F., Valencia or Los Che) is a Spanish professional football club based in Valencia, Spain. They play in La Liga and are one of the most successful and biggest clubs in Spanish football and Europe. Valencia have won six La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey trophies, two Fairs Cups which was the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and two UEFA Super Cups. They also reached two UEFA Champions League finals in a row, losing to La Liga rivals Real Madrid in 2000 and then to German club Bayern Munich on penalties after a 1–1 draw in 2001. Valencia were also members of the G-14 group of leading European football clubs. In total, Valencia have reached seven major European finals, winning four of them.

In the all-time La Liga table, Valencia is in 3rd position behind Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. In terms of continental titles, Valencia is again the 3rd-most successful behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, with these three being the only Spanish clubs to have won five or more continental trophies.

Valencia were founded in 1919 and have played their home games at the 55,000-seater Estadio Mestalla since 1923. They are due to move into the new 75,000-seater Nou Mestalla in the north-west of the city in 2013. Valencia have a long-standing rivalry with Levante, also located in Valencia, and with two others club in the Valencian Community region, Hercules and Villarreal.

Valencia are the third most supported football club in Spain, behind only Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It is also one of the biggest clubs in the world in terms of number of associates (registered paying supporters), with more than 50,000 season ticket holders and another 20,000+ season ticket holders on the waiting list, who can be accommodated in the new 75,000-seater stadium.

Main article: History of Valencia CF The club was established in March 5, 1919 and officially approved in March 18, 1919, with Octavio Augusto Milego Díaz as its first president; incidentally the presidency was decided by a coin toss. The club played its first competitive match away from home on 21 May 1919 against Valencia Gimnástico, and lost the match 1–0.


Valencia CF moved into the Mestalla stadium in 1923, having played its home matches at the Algirós ground since 7 December 1919. The first match at Mestalla pitted the home side against Castellón Castalia and ended a 0–0 draw. In another match the day after, Valencia won against the same opposition 1–0. Valencia CF won the Regional Championship in 1923, and was eligible to play in the domestic Copa del Rey cup competition for the first time in its history.


Emergence as a Giant in Spanish Football The Spanish Civil War halted the progress of the Valencia team until 1941, when it won the Copa del Rey, beating RCD Espanyol in the final. In the 1941–42 season, the club won its first Spanish La Liga championship title, although winning the Copa del Rey was more reputable than the championship at that time. The club maintained its consistency to capture the league title again in the 1943–44 season, as well as the 1946–47 league edition.

Valencia In the 1950s, the club failed to emulate the success of the 1940s, even though it grew as a club. A restructuring of Mestalla resulted in an increase in spectator capacity to 45,000, while the club had a number of Spanish and foreign stars. Players such as Spanish international Antonio Puchades and Dutch forward Faas Wilkes graced the pitch at Mestalla. In the 1952–53 season, the club finished as runners-up in the La Liga, and in the following season, the club won the Copa del Rey, then known as the Copa del Generalísimo.

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Sevilla Football Club

Sevilla Football Club Sevilla Fútbol Club S.A.D. is a Spanish professional football club that plays in the Spanish La Liga championship. The club was established on 14 October 1905, in Seville. On 15 October 1905, the Civil Governor of Seville officially announced the creation of Sevilla FC. The first president of the club was D. José Luis Gallegos. In 1908, the team played its first official game, and the first official game in Spain, against Recreativo Huelva. In 1914, the team won its first Copa de Sevilla (Seville Cup). In 1935, Sevilla won the first of its Spanish Cup trophies (in this moment called Cup of the president of the republic), beating CE Sabadell FC 3–0. After the Spanish Civil War, Sevilla won the Generalisimo´s Cup (the second Spanish Cup of the club), beating Racing de Ferrol by a score of 6–2.

The 1939–40 season also brought Sevilla very close to its first La Liga championship. The league had just returned to action after the Spanish Civil War, and Sevilla had some astounding games, beating Barcelona 11–1, Valencia 10–3 and Hércules 8–3. However, in the last game of the season, Sevilla could only manage to tie Hércules 3–3, thus giving the title to Atlético Aviación. In 1942–43, Sevilla took second place in the league again but fell to third the next year. After a transitional year in 1945–46, Sevilla won its first and only La Liga title (although in four times the Club has been second), due mainly to the mercurial talent (striker) Oliver Ward[citation needed], who managed to notch up an impressive 29 goal tally. In 1948, Sevilla captured its last Spanish Cup (Generalisimo´s Cup) for 59 years, defeating Celta Vigo 4–1 at the Estadio Chamartín. Sevilla have beaten Real Madrid a record of 72 times, while Barcelona have beaten Real Madrid 80 in all competetions.

Under new coach Joaquín Caparrós, Sevilla won the second division title in 2000–01. New team president José María del Nido brought fiscal order to Sevilla, selling its homegrown superstar José Antonio Reyes to Arsenal in January 2004 for an initial fee of £10.5 million . In that season (2003–04), not only did Sevilla reach the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey after more than 20 years (where it fell 2–1 to Real Madrid), but the team managed to qualify for Europe by placing sixth in the league and earning a ticket for the 2004–05 UEFA Cup.

Having convincingly won the 2005–06 UEFA Cup, Sevilla booked a place in 2006 UEFA Super Cup, a one-off game which pits the UEFA Cup winners and the Champions League winners of the previous year against one another. At the Stade Louis II in Monaco on 25 August 2006, Sevilla beat the Champions League title-holders and league champions FC Barcelona 3–0, thanks an early goal by Brazilian Renato, a goal just before the half by Kanouté, and a penalty converted by Maresca in the second half stoppage time, to pick up its second European trophy (their second in just three months).

After, this same year, Sevilla FC won the King´s cup (Spanish Cup)) vs Getafe by 1-0 (Kanouté scored the goal). It´s the King´s cup number four in the history of the club, although really not all are called so. First cup is Cup of the President of the Republic. Second and third cups are Generalisimo´s Cup (copa del generalisimo) in reference to dictator Franco. Fourth cup is King´s cup. The final took place in the Santiago Bernabeu stadium (Real madrid´s stadium, Madrid), on 23th June. 2007 Spanish Super cup Sevilla played vs Barcelona the 2010 Spanish Super Cup. The first match ended Sevilla 3-1 Barcelona and the second Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla, so Sevilla FC couldn´t win its second Spanish Super Cup.

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Barcelona Football Club

Barcelona Football Club Founded as Foot-Ball Club Barcelona in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English, and Spanish footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que un club" (English: More than a club). The official Barça anthem is the "Cant del Barça" written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs. Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the world's second richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turn-over of €398 million. The club holds a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, and matches between the two teams are referred to as "El Clásico".

FC Barcelona is the most successful club in Spanish football in terms of overall trophies, having won twenty La Liga titles, a record twenty-five Spanish Cups, nine Spanish Super Cups, and two League Cups. It is also one of most successful clubs in European football, having won ten UEFA competitions. It is the only European club to have played continental football every season since 1955. In 2009, Barcelona became the first club in Spain to win the treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the Champions League. That same year, it also became the first football club ever to win six out of six competitions in a single year, thus completing the sextuple, comprising the aforementioned treble and the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

Birth of FC Barcelona (1899–1922) On 22 October 1899, Joan Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club; a positive response resulted in a meeting at the Gimnasio Solé on 29 November. Eleven players attended—Walter Wild (the first director of the club), Lluís d'Ossó, Bartomeu Terradas, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol, Josep Llobet, John Parsons, and William Parsons—and Foot-Ball Club Barcelona was born.

FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya, and participated in the first Copa del Rey, losing 1–2 to Bizcaya in the final. Gamper became club president in 1908, the club in financial difficulty after not winning a competition since the Campionat de Catalunya in 1905. Club president on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 years in total at the helm. One of his main achievements was ensuring Barça acquire its own stadium and thus generate a stable income

Barcelona Football Club On 14 March 1909, the team moved into the Camp de la Indústria, a larger stadium with a seating capacity of 8,000 people. From 1910 to 1914 Barcelona participated in the Pyrenees Cup, which consisted of the best teams of Languedoc, Midi, Aquitaine (Southern France), the Basque Country, and Catalonia. At that time it was considered the finest competition open for participation. During the same period, the club changed its official language from Castilian to Catalan and gradually evolved into an important symbol of Catalan identity. For many fans, supporting the club had less to do with the game itself and more with being a part of the club's collective identity.

Gamper launched a campaign to recruit more club members, and by 1922 the club had over 20,000 members and was able to finance a new stadium. The club to moved to the new Les Corts, inaugurated the same year. Les Corts had an initial capacity of 22,000, which was later expanded to 60,000. Jack Green well was recruited as the first full-time manager, and the club's fortunes began to improve on the field. During the Gamper era, FC Barcelona won eleven Campionat de Catalunya, six Copas del Rey, and four Pyrenees Cups, its first "golden age".

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