FOR A CLUB as distinguished as Barcelona, it may come as a surprise to learn that they only managed to win the European Cup for the first time in 1992 — the last season before it became known as the Champions League.
They have since won it three times — in 2006, 2009 and 2011, while they also finished runners-up on three occasions: in 1961, 1986 and 1994.
With Barcelona set to play Bayern Munich in the Champions League second leg and looking in a strong position to end their four-year barren run in Europe, we decided to look back at the side that paved the way for today’s team by ending the Catalan club’s long wait to triumph in Europe’s premier club competition…
Andoni Zubizarreta (captain): Made over 300 appearances for Barca, having signed for the club for a record (for a goalkeeper) of €1.7 million. He subsequently joined Valencia in 1994 and finished his career there. Zubizarreta then became Barca’s director of football in 2010 but was sacked from his role by club president Josep Maria Bartomeu last January.
Fernando Muñoz Garcia: More commonly referred to as ‘Nando,’ he made the controversial switch to rivals Real Madrid shortly after the 1992 final. Garcia consequently failed to establish himself as a regular at Real though, and eventually finished his career at Espanyol.
Albert Ferrer: Made over 200 appearances for Barca at full-back, before spending five years at pre-Abramovich-era Chelsea. Since retiring, Ferrer has had periods as manager of Vitesse and Córdoba, as well as serving as a commentator on Spanish TV. He was also linked with the Tranmere Rovers job last year.
Ronald Koeman: A Barcelona great, the versatile Koeman scored the winner against Sampdoria and was a prominent part of the side that famously won four La Liga titles in a row. He left Barca in 1995, ending his career at Feyenoord, and is now a successful manager, impressing since taking over at Southampton last summer.
Juan Carlos Rodríguez: The left-back spent three years in total at Barca, before further spells at Valencia and Valladolid. Post-retirement, he subsequently returned to the latter club as a director.
José Mari Bakero: Another fondly remembered player, Bakero eventually left the Catalan side in 1997, spending his final season at Veracruz in Mexico. The Spaniard has since managed a number of clubs, including Real Sociedad, Lech Poznań and Juan Aurich.
Julio Salinas: Spent six years in total at Barca, and went on to play for a number of other clubs including Deportivo and Sporting Gijón. Irish fans may remember Salinas from his brace at Lansdowne Road during Spain’s 3-1 1994 World Cup qualifying win. After retiring, he has worked as a commentator for Spanish TV.
Hristo Stoichkov: Perhaps the greatest Bulgarian footballer ever, Stoichkov won the Ballon d’Or during his first spell at the club, before returning in 1996 for another two years, following a disappointing season at Parma. Since retiring he has coached teams including Bulgaria and Celta Vigo, in addition to working as a football pundit.
(Barcelona celebrate winning the European Cup at Wembley Stadium. Having played in their away strip of orange, they changed into their more familiar home strip for the celebrations.)
Michael Laudrup: Part of a select group of players who made the switch from Barcelona to Real Madrid, he also had short spells at Vissel Kobe and Ajax before retiring. He is currently manager of Qatar Stars League club Lekhwiya, having been harshly dismissed as Swansea boss last year.
Josep Guardiola: After over 10 years at Barcelona, Guardiola finished his career with spells at Roma, Brescia, Al-Ahli and Dorados. What he has done since needs little explanation, becoming one of the most successful coaches of his generation, firstly at Barcelona, then Bayern.
Eusebio: By some distance, the less famous Eusebio — the Spanish midfielder was still a very accomplished player, making more than 200 appearances at Barcelona during his seven years at the club. He spent a couple of seasons at Celta and Valladolid and was B team coach at Barcelona for four years until he was sacked last February, following a number of disappointing results.
Subs
José Ramón Alexanco: A highly-rated player who captained the famous dream team at one point, the centre-back was coming towards the end of his career by the time of the 1992 final. He retired having made 274 appearances at the club and went on to become their youth system coordinator in 2005.
Antonio Goikoetxea: Played for Barca between 1988 and 1994, the midfielder also won 36 caps for Spain, including at the 1994 World Cup in which he scored two goals. Goikoetxea eventually left to join Athletic Bilbao in 1994 before concluding his career with Osasuna following a brief stint in Japan. Since retiring, he has worked as an assistant coach with former teammate José Ángel Ziganda at Xerez.
Carlos Busquets: The father of current Barcelona player Sergio, Busquets was largely a reserve goalkeeper during his 12 years at Barca before finishing his career in the Segunda División with Lleida.
Aitor ‘Txiki’ Begiristain: The former winger was another big player for Barcelona between 1988 and 1995, before spells at Deportivo and Urawa Red Diamonds. He has kept a high profile since retiring, serving as director of football at both Barcelona and Man City.
Miguel Nadal: The uncle of tennis star Rafael Nadal, he made over 200 appearances for Barca between 1991 and 1999, before spending a further six years at Mallorca. He has been both assistant and caretaker boss at the latter club following his retirement.
