My team Barcelona.....

FC Barcelona has long been a favourite football club for many British followers. Perhaps it has been because of their status as an ‘anti-Franco’ club. Or perhaps fans have been attracted by the membership structure of the club that gives ordinary supporters a say in the election of presidents. Or it might even be because of its long standing reputation for playing open and attractive football, with some of the world’s very best players pulling on the famous blue and claret shirts.
Founded in 1899, when the Swiss-born Hans Gamper established a team made up of Swiss, English and Catalan players, the club quickly established itself as a focal point of the city and the region. Gamper is an integral part of the early history of the club – scoring103 goals between 1901 and 1903 and then becoming the president until his death in 1930. It was he who enabled the club to purchase their first ground in 1909, with a capacity of just 6,000 people. Gamper then oversaw the development of the Les Corts stadium, initially with room for 30,000 although it was later doubled in size. And, the year before his death, he was able to see his club become the first ever Spanish League champions. By this time, with in excess of 10,000 members, Barcelona was already attracting star footballers from overseas – the Uruguayan striker Hector Scarone being the first of many ‘big money’ signings. Perhaps the most famous of Barcelona’s players in this era, however, was the goalkeeper Ricardo Zamora. Zamora is remembered today for mainly two reasons. Firstly, he has given his name to the trophy awarded to the best goalkeeper in La Liga each season. And secondly, he was the first player to tread that dangerous transfer path from Barcelona to Real Madrid!

  Taken From: sanish-fiestas.com