Catalonia national football team
Nickname(s) |
La Selecció (The Selection), La Segadora (The Reaper) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Association | Catalan Football Federation | ||
Confederation | None | ||
Head coach | Gerard López and Sergio González | ||
Captain | Sergio García | ||
Most caps | Sergio González (15) | ||
Top scorer | Sergio García (9) | ||
Home stadium | various | ||
| |||
First international | |||
France 7–0 Catalonia (Paris, France; 21 February 1912) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Catalonia 5–0 Lithuania (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 2000) Catalonia 5–0 Nigeria (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 1998) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Spain 7–0 Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain; 13 March 1924) France 7–0 Catalonia (Paris, France; 21 February 1912) |
The Catalonia representative football team is the official football team of the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia. It is organised by the Catalan Football Federation. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI.
Catalonia is not affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA and is therefore not allowed to participate in either the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship. Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain.
Since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams.[1] International friendly games have been played more regularly since 1997. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina. Recent friendly games include a 4–2 win over Argentina at Camp Nou in December 2009,[2] and a 4–0 win over Honduras in December 2010.
History
First games
The Catalonia team made their debut in 1905. Initially they played against various club teams such as Club Espanyol, Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Irún Sporting Club. On 2 February 1912, they made their international friendly debut against France, losing 7–0 in Paris. The team was: Reñé, Irízar, Amecharruza, Alemany, Peris, Armet, Forns, Rodríguez, Comamala, Morales and Ramiro. On 1 December 1912, the two teams met again in Barcelona and this time the Catalans won 1–0. In 1914, the Catalan XI played the Basque Country XI for the first time, but there is no record of the result.[3] The first recorded game between the two teams took place on 3 January 1915 at San Mamés Stadium; the Catalan XI lost 6–1.[4]
Copa Príncep d'Astúries
Between 1915 and 1926, the Catalan XI competed in an inter-regional competition. They finished as runners-up in 1915 and won the Copa Príncep d'Astúries for the first time in 1916, beating a Castile XI 8–5 over two games. They then retained the trophy in 1917 after beating the Castile XI 2–0. During the 1920s, a team featuring Josep Samitier, Paulino Alcántara, Sagibarba and Ricardo Zamora helped the Catalan XI win the competition in 1922, 1924 and 1926. The last competition in 1926 was a play-off between the two teams who had won the competition the most. The Catalans beat an Asturias XI 6–3 over two games.
As well as playing other regional teams from throughout Spain and Europe, the 1920s also saw the Catalan XI play several international friendly matches. On 13 March 1924, at the Camp de Les Corts, the Catalan XI played Spain for the first time. The Spain XI included Josep Samitier and Ricardo Zamora, two of the best Catalan players of the era, while the Catalan XI featured Paulino Alcántara and Sagibarba. Samiter scored twice as the Spain XI won 7–0. On 13 December 1925, Samitier, Zamora, Alcántara and Sagibarba were on the same side as the Catalan XI beat Czechoslovakia at the Estadi de Sarrià. After conceding a penalty and going down 1–0, Sagibarba then equalised with another penalty before Samitier clinched a 2–1 win. On 7 July 1926, the Catalan XI played Czechoslovakia in Prague. Despite Samitier putting the Catalans 1–0 ahead, they eventually lost 2–1.
Catalonia vs. Brazil
During the 1930s, Catalonia continued playing friendly games against an array of teams; 1934 was a particularly good year. On 2 February, they played Spain and lost 2–0 at Les Corts. Four months later, they played Brazil twice. On 17 June, the Catalan XI beat Brazil 2–1 at Les Corts and then on 24 June, they held them to a 2–2 draw at the Vista Alegre in Girona. The Brazil team had been in Europe to play in the official 1934 FIFA World Cup and included the legendary Leônidas in their team. The Catalan XI completed a good month when on June 29 they beat the reigning official La Liga champions, Athletic Bilbao, 5–1.
The Franco era
After the Spanish Civil War, dictator Francisco Franco imposed several restrictions on Catalonia, abolishing the Generalitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of the Catalan language and the Catalan flag. Despite these restrictions, the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On 19 October 1947, at the Sarrià and with a team featuring Juan Velasco, Marià Gonzalvo, Joan Segarra and César, they beat Spain 3–1. On 9 August 1953, Spain avenged this defeat with a 6–0 win.
During this era, several notable Barcelona players, including the Spanish players László Kubala, Luis Suárez, Evaristo and later Jesús María Pereda, played for the Catalan XI. On 26 January 1955, in a friendly game against Bologna at Les Corts, Kubala was also joined by another guest player, Alfredo Di Stéfano. The Catalan XI won 6–2 with two goals from Kubala and one from Di Stéfano. On 1 September 1956, Di Stéfano returned to Les Corts with Real Madrid, recent winners of the first official European Cup, and played a Selecció de Barcelona. Real won the game 7–3.
The Catalan XI marked the end of the Franco era with a friendly game against the Soviet Union at the Camp Nou on 6 June 1976. The team included Carles Rexach and guest Netherlands players Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens. The game finished 1–1 with Neeskens scoring for the Catalan XI. Cruyff's son, Jordi, would subsequently play regularly for the Catalan XI.
Democratic era
Since the restoration of democracy in the 1970s, the Catalonia representative team has regularly played international friendly matches. They put together a string of successful results against countries like Bulgaria, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and Chile. On 5 May 2002, Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up friendly game before the official 2002 World Cup. Brazil, who went on to win the official competition, beat Catalonia 3–1. In 2004, Brazil returned for a second friendly game and this time won 5–2 at the Camp Nou, where some months later Argentina defeated Catalonia 3–0. The last friendly matches have been against Paraguay, Costa Rica, Basque Country, Argentina and Colombia.
Johan Cruyff era
On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Dutch legend and former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff would be the new coach of Catalonia.[5][5] On 22 December 2009, they played a friendly against Argentina, which ended in a Catalonia win, 4–2 at Camp Nou. On 28 December 2010, Catalonia played another friendly against Honduras winning 4–0 at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.[6] On 30 December 2011, Catalonia played Tunisia in a goalless draw at the Lluís Companys.[7] In their last game under Cruyff, on 2 January 2013, Catalonia drew with Nigeria at the Cornellà-El Prat, 1–1.[8]
Post-Cruyff era
Former player Gerard was appointed new coach for the Catalan team for two years. His first match with the team took place on 30 December 2013 against Cape Verde at the Olímpic Lluís Companys.[9]
Match history
23 December 1997 | Catalonia | 1–1 | Bulgaria | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:45 CET | Dani García 6' | Report | 34' (o.g.) Quique Álvarez | Stadium: Olímpic Attendance: 35,300 Referee: Antoni Llonch |
22 December 1998 | Catalonia | 5–0 | Nigeria | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:30 CET | Óscar 4', 29' Celades 18' Tamudo 82' Barbarà 87' |
Report | Stadium: Olímpic Attendance: 53,630 Referee: Xavier Moreno |
23 December 1999 | Catalonia | 1–0 | Yugoslavia | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:30 CET | Óscar 45' | Report | Stadium: Olímpic Attendance: 43,700 Referee: Antoni Llonch |
22 December 2000 | Catalonia | 5–0 | Lithuania | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:15 CET | Óscar 10', 83' Jordi 43' Gerard 71' (pen.) Xavi 78' |
Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 47,000 Referee: Antoni Llonch |
28 December 2001 | Catalonia | 1–0 | Chile | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:00 CET | Luis García 56' | Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 60,000 Referee: Jesús Téllez |
18 May 2002 | Catalonia | 1–3 | Brazil | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:00 CET | Luis García 63' | Report | 20', 44' Ronaldinho 75' Edmílson |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 96,700 Referee: Jesús Téllez |
28 December 2002 | Catalonia | 2–0 | China PR | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:15 CET | Roger 10' Luque 48' |
Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 63,416 Referee: Xavier Moreno |
28 December 2003 | Catalonia | 4–2 | Ecuador | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
18:30 CET | Sergio García 9', 17' Xavi 26' Luis García 76' |
Report | 26' Ordóñez 87' Espinoza |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 67,100 Referee: Jesús Téllez |
25 May 2004 | Catalonia | 2–5 | Brazil | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:05 CET | Gerard 75' Sergio García 89' |
Report | 16', 37' Ronaldo 52' Oliveira 63', 90+1' Baptista |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 83,357 Referee: Xavier Moreno |
29 December 2004 | Catalonia | 0–3 | Argentina | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:30 CET | Report | 1' Scaloni 52' Maxi Rodríguez 75' Galletti |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 65,320 Referee: Xavier Moreno |
28 December 2005 | Catalonia | 1–1 | Paraguay | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:30 CET | Soriano 58' | Report | 69' Dante López | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 33,000 Referee: Alfonso Álvarez |
24 May 2006 | Catalonia | 2–0 | Costa Rica | Terrassa |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:30 CET | Piti 7' Roger 63' |
Report | Stadium: Olímpic Attendance: 8,155 Referee: Xavier Moreno |
8 October 2006 | Catalonia | 2–2 | Basque Country | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
18:30 CET | Verdú 67' Luque 84' |
Report | 19' Aduriz 64' Llorente |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 56,353 Referee: Vicente Lizondo |
29 December 2007 | Basque Country | 1–1 | Catalonia | Bilbao |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:30 CET | Aduriz 69' | Report | 29' Krkić | Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Miguel Ángel Pérez |
24 May 2008 | Catalonia | 0–1 | Argentina | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Report | 19' Lavezzi | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 42,380 Referee: Alfonso Álvarez |
28 December 2008 | Catalonia | 2–1 | Colombia | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Krkić 15' Verdú 64' |
Report | 90+2' Montero | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Alberto Undiano |
22 December 2009 | Catalonia | 4–2 | Argentina | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:30 CET | Sergio García 44' Krkić 56' Sergio 70' (pen.) Hurtado 76' |
Report | 63' Pastore 72' Di María |
Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 53,000 Referee: Alfonso Álvarez |
28 December 2010 | Catalonia | 4–0 | Honduras | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Corominas 26' Sergio García 50' Krkić 60', 71' |
Report | Stadium: Lluís Companys Attendance: 28,150 Referee: Xavier Estrada |
30 December 2011 | Catalonia | 0–0 | Tunisia | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Report | Stadium: Lluís Companys Attendance: 36,545 Referee: Alfonso Álvarez |
2 January 2013 | Catalonia | 1–1 | Nigeria | Cornellà de Llobregat |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Sergio 3' (pen.) | Report | 55' Dike | Stadium: Cornellà-El Prat Attendance: 27,234 Referee: Xavier Estrada |
30 December 2013 | Catalonia | 4–1 | Cape Verde | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
19:00 CET | Sergio García 17', 18' Krkić 19' Riera 64' |
Report | 10' Djaniny | Stadium: Lluís Companys Attendance: 20,700 Referee: Alfonso Álvarez |
28 December 2014 | Basque Country | 1–1 | Catalonia | Bilbao |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:30 CET | Aduriz 3' | S. García 44' | Stadium: San Mamés Attendance: 40,000 Referee: Bikandi Garrido |
26 December 2015 | Catalonia | 0–1 | Basque Country | Barcelona |
---|---|---|---|---|
21:30 CET | Aduriz 39' | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 51,224 Referee: Estrada Fernández |
28 December 2016 | Catalonia | 3–3 (2–4 p) |
Tunisia | Girona |
---|---|---|---|---|
20:00 CET | Gerard 35' S. García 69' Verdú 79' |
Msakni 9', 30', 67' | Stadium: Estadi Montilivi Attendance: 8,311 Referee: Álvarez Izquierdo |
|
Penalties | ||||
Verdú Víctor Álvarez Vázquez Riera |
Sassi Dhaouadi Bguir Azouni Khalifa |
Date | Venue | Home Team | Visitor | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|
24 April 1993 [10] | Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona | Catalonia | The Best Foreign footballers in La Liga | 4–4 |
6 June 1976 | Camp Nou, Barcelona | Catalonia | Soviet Union | 1–1 |
21 February 1971 | San Mamés, Bilbao | Basque Country | Catalonia | 1–2 |
9 August 1953 | Galileu, Barcelona | Catalonia | Spain | 0–6 |
19 October 1947 | Sarrià, Barcelona | Catalonia | Spain | 3–1 |
24 June 1934 | Vista Alegre, Girona | Catalonia | Brazil | 2–2 |
17 June 1934 | Les Corts, Barcelona | Catalonia | Brazil | 2–1 |
2 February 1934 | Les Corts, Barcelona | Catalonia | Spain | 0–2 |
1 January 1931 | San Mamés, Bilbao | Basque Country | Catalonia | 3–2 |
8 June 1930 | Montjuïc, Barcelona | Catalonia | Basque Country | 0–1 |
7 July 1926 | Sparta, Prague | Czechoslovakia | Catalonia | 2–1 |
13 December 1925 | Sarrià, Barcelona | Catalonia | Czechoslovakia | 2–1 |
13 March 1924 | Les Corts, Barcelona | Catalonia | Spain | 0–7 |
4 April 1921 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | Provence | 1–0 |
3 April 1921 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | Provence | 4–0 |
4 June 1916 | San Mamés, Bilbao | Basque Country | Catalonia | 5–0 |
22 May 1916 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | Basque Country | 0–0 |
21 May 1916 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | Basque Country | 1–3 |
13 May 1915 | Athletic, Madrid | Basque Country | Catalonia | 1–0 |
7 February 1915 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | Basque Country | 2–2 |
3 January 1915 | San Mamés, Bilbao | Basque Country | Catalonia | 6–1 |
1 December 1912 | Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona | Catalonia | France | 1–0 |
10 February 1912 | Colombes, Paris | France | Catalonia | 7–0 |
Current squad
The following players were called up for the match against Tunisia on 28 December 2016.
# | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GK | Jordi Masip | 3 January 1989 | 3 | 0 | Barcelona |
13 | GK | Èdgar Badia | 12 February 1992 | 1 | 0 | Reus |
2 | DF | Víctor Álvarez | 14 March 1993 | 4 | 0 | Espanyol |
3 | DF | Andreu Fontàs | 14 November 1989 | 4 | 0 | Celta |
4 | DF | Alberto de la Bella | 2 December 1985 | 4 | 0 | Olympiacos |
5 | DF | Sergi Gómez | 28 March 1992 | 2 | 0 | Celta |
6 | DF | Pol Lirola | 13 August 1997 | 1 | 0 | Sassuolo |
13 | DF | Gerard Valentín | 28 July 1993 | 1 | 0 | Gimnàstic |
14 | DF | Aarón Martín | 22 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | Espanyol |
7 | MF | Xavi Hernández | 25 January 1980 | 12 | 2 | Al Sadd |
8 | MF | Joan Verdú | 5 May 1983 | 11 | 3 | Qingdao Huanghai |
9 | MF | Sergi Roberto | 7 February 1992 | 6 | 0 | Barcelona |
10 | MF | Marc Crosas | 9 January 1988 | 3 | 0 | Tampico Madero |
11 | MF | Víctor Rodríguez | 23 July 1989 | 2 | 0 | Sporting Gijón |
12 | MF | Sergi Samper | 20 January 1995 | 2 | 0 | Granada |
13 | MF | Marc Roca | 26 November 1996 | 1 | 0 | Espanyol |
14 | MF | Pere Pons | 20 February 1993 | 1 | 0 | Girona |
15 | FW | Sergio García | 9 June 1983 | 14 | 9 | Espanyol |
16 | FW | Álvaro Vázquez | 27 April 1991 | 6 | 0 | Espanyol |
17 | FW | Gerard Moreno | 7 April 1992 | 3 | 1 | Espanyol |
18 | FW | Oriol Riera | 3 July 1986 | 2 | 1 | Osasuna |
Recent callups
The following players have been called up for the team in the last two years.
Notable players
Catalan-born players
Guest players
Because Catalonia is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA due to it being a region of Spain, obvious eligibility rules based on birthplace do not apply. As a result of unofficial friendly team, a number of players who were not born in Catalonia have guested for the Catalan XI. With the notable exception of Alfredo Di Stéfano, most were playing for Barcelona at the time. Notice that some players, as Andrés Iniesta, Jordi Cruyff or Lionel Messi had lived most of their lives (and childhood) in Catalonia. Some others, as Sagibarba or Paulino Alcántara had Catalan ancestors (for example: Alcántara was the son of a Catalan military officer in the Spanish Philippines and moved to Barcelona after the Spanish–American War as a child).
Selected coaches
- Pichi Alonso, 1995–2005
- Pere Gratacós, 2005–2009
- Johan Cruyff, 2009–2013
- Gerard López, 2013–
- Sergio González, 2016–
Honours
- Copa Príncep d'Astúries
- Winners (5): (1916, 1917, 1921, 1924, 1926)
- Runners-Up (1): (1915)
Estimated Elo
The Elo rating system was adapted for football by adding a weighting for the kind of match, an adjustment for the home team advantage, and an adjustment for goal difference in the match result. Its estimated Elo is 1856 (current fantasy rank: 16th). Its highest Elo were 1885 points (after winning against Honduras on December 28th 2010). At that time it would have been the seventh world national football team in the World behind Spain, Germany, Argentina and England and above Portugal, Italy, France and among those.
See also
Notes
- ↑ esportcatala.com Archived September 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "4–2: Catalunya suma un triunfo de prestigio frente a Argentina" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 22 December 2009. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
- ↑ fcbarcelona.com Archived November 25, 2006, at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Vasconia-Cataluña" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo, 4/1/1915. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- 1 2 "Cruyff will coach Catalonia team". BBC News. 2 November 2009.
- ↑ "Catalonia defeats Honduras". La Prensa.hn (Honduran national newspaper). 29/12/2010.
- ↑ "Catalonia draws with Tunisia". El Periódico de Catalunya (Catalionian newspaper) 31/12/2011.
- ↑ "Catalunya empata con Nigeria en la despedida de Cruyff.". ElPeriodico.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.
- ↑ "Catalunya jugará contra Cabo Verde el 30 de diciembre". Lavanguardia.com. 15 November 2013.
- ↑ Report: Homage to Kubala (1993)
External links
- Catalonia Football Federation
- Results at rsssf.com
- Detailed results at www.futcat.org/html
- List of games at www.esportcatala.cat
- Copa Príncep d'Astúries