Catalonia national football team

Catalonia

Nickname(s)	La Selecció
Association	Federació Catalana de Futbol
Confederation	None
Head coach	Johan Cruyff
Captain	Víctor Valdés
Most caps	Sergio González (13)
Top scorer	Mariano Martín (6)
First colours Second colours
First international
France 7 - 0 Catalonia (Paris, France; February 21, 1912)
Biggest win
Catalonia 5 - 0 Lithuania (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 2000) Catalonia 5 - 0 Nigeria (Barcelona, Spain; 22 December 1998)
Biggest defeat
France 7 - 0 Catalonia (Paris, France; February 21, 1912)
Appearances	(first in -)
Best result	-

Catalonia national football team is the official football team of Catalonia, Spain. It is organized by the Catalonia 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 to either FIFA or UEFA and the team does not participate in either the FIFA World Cup or the European Championship. Instead, Catalonians are full Spanish citizens and eligible to play for Spain, with several such as Carles Puyol becoming star players for the Spanish team. Catalonia has tried to join UEFA, citing the constituent nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) as similar national sides with UEFA membership, but has always been rejected. However since 1904 the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams . Since 1997 they play international games more regularly. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil and Argentina. Their most recent game was a 4-2 win over Argentina at Camp Nou in December 2009.

On 3 November 2009, it was agreed that Johan Cruyff would become the coach of the side, taking the reins officially from 9th November 2009.

History

First Games

Catalonia national football team made their debut in 1904. Initially they played against various club teams such as Club Espanyol, Madrid FC, FC Barcelona and Irún Sporting Club. On February 2 1912 they made their international debut against France, losing 7-0 in Paris. On December 1 1912 the two teams met again in Barcelona and this time the Catalans won 1-0. In 1914 the Catalan XI played the Euskadi XI for the first time, but there is no record of the result . The first recorded game between the two teams took place on January 3 1915 at San Mamés Stadium. The Catalan XI lost 6-1.

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, Sagibarbá 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 internationals. On March 13 1924 at the Les Corts, the Catalan XI played Spain for the first time. A Spain XI team that included Josep Samitier and Ricardo Zamora, two of the best Catalan players of the era, beat a Catalan XI featuring Paulino Alcántara and Sagibarbá. Samiter scored twice as the Spain XI won 7-0. On December 13 1925 Samitier, Zamora, Alcántara and Sagibarbá were on the same team as the Catalan XI beat Czechoslovakia at the Sarria. After conceding a penalty and going down 1-0, Sagibarbá then equalised with another penalty before Samitier clinched a 2-1 win. On July 7 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 against an array of teams. However 1934 was a particularly good year. On February 2 they played Spain and lost 2-0 at Les Corts. However four months later they played Brazil twice. On June 17 the Catalan XI beat Brazil 2-1 at Les Corts and then on June 24 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 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 La Liga champions, Athletic Bilbao 5-1.

The Franco Era

After the Spanish Civil War, the Franco regime imposed several restrictions on Catalonia, abolishing the Generalitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of the Catalan language and the flag. However the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On October 19 1947 at the Sarria, with a team featuring Velasco, Marià Gonzalvo, Joan Segarra and César, they beat Spain 3-1. However on August 9 1953 Spain avenged this defeat with a 6-0 win.

During this era several notable FC Barcelona players, including Ladislao Kubala, Luis Suárez, Evaristo and later, Jesús María Pereda, all guested for the Catalan XI. On January 26 1955 in a 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 September 1 1956 Di Stéfano returned to Les Corts with Real Madrid, recent winners of the first 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 game against the USSR at the Camp Nou on June 6 1976. The team included Carles Rexach and guest 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.

The recent democratic era

Catalonia V Basque Country team playing in Camp Nou

With the democracy, the Catalonia national team has regularly played international matches. They subsequently put together a string of successful results against Bulgaria, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and Chile. On May 5 2002 Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up game before the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Brazil, who went onto win the competition, beat Catalonia 3-1. In 2004 Brazil returned for a second game and this time won 5-2 in the Camp Nou, where some months later Argentina defeated Catalonia 0-3. The last matches have been against Paraguay, Costa Rica, Basque Country, Argentina and Colombia.

Johan Cruyff's era

On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Dutch legend and former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff will be the new coach of Catalonia.

On Tuesday, 22nd December 2009, a friendly against Argentina was programmed. Catalonia went on to win the match 4-2 at Camp Nou.

Selected Internationals

Date	Venue	Home Team	Visitor	Score
Dec 22 2009	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Argentina	4 - 2
Dec 28 2008	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Colombia	2 - 1
May 24 2008	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Argentina	0 - 1
Dec. 29 2007	San Mamés	Basque Country	Catalonia	1 - 1
Oct. 8 2006	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Basque Country	2 - 2
May 24 2006	Olímpic de Terrassa	Catalonia	Costa Rica	2 - 0
Dec. 28 2005	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Paraguay	1 - 1
Dec. 29 2004	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Argentina	0 - 3
May 25 2004	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Brazil	2 - 5
Dec. 28 2003	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Ecuador	4 - 0
Dec. 28 2002	Camp Nou	Catalonia	China	2 - 0
May 18 2002	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Brazil	1 - 3
Dec. 28 2001	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Chile	1 - 0
Dec. 22 2000	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Lithuania	5 - 0
Dec. 23 1999	Olímpic Lluís Companys	Catalonia	Yugoslavia	1 - 0
Dec. 22 1998	Montjuïc	Catalonia	Nigeria	5 - 0
Dec. 23 1997	Montjuïc	Catalonia	Bulgaria	1 - 1
June 6 1976	Camp Nou	Catalonia	Soviet Union	1 - 1
Feb. 21 1971	San Mamés	Basque Country	Catalonia	1 - 2
Aug. 9 1953	unknown	Catalonia	Spain	0 - 6
Oct. 19 1947	Sarrià	Catalonia	Spain	3 - 1
June 24 1934	Girona	Catalonia	Brazil	2 - 2
June 17 1934	Les Corts	Catalonia	Brazil	2 - 1
Feb. 2 1934	Les Corts	Catalonia	Spain	0 - 2
Jan. 1 1931	San Mamés	Basque Country	Catalonia	3 - 2
June 8 1930	Montjuïc	Catalonia	Basque Country	0 - 1
July 7 1926	Prague	Czechoslovakia	Catalonia	2 - 1
Dec. 13 1925	Sarria	Catalonia	Czechoslovakia	2 - 1
Mar. 13 1924	Les Corts	Catalonia	Spain	0 - 7
04-04-1921	Catalonia	Catalonia	Provence	1 - 0
03-04-1921	Catalonia	Catalonia	Provence	4 - 0
June 4 1916	San Mamés	Basque Country	Catalonia	5 - 0
May 22 1916	Carrer Industrial	Catalonia	Basque Country	0 - 0
May 21 1916	Carrer Industrial	Catalonia	Basque Country	1 - 3
May 15 1915	unknown	Catalonia	Basque Country	0 - 1
Feb. 7 1915	Carrer Industrial	Catalonia	Basque Country	2 - 2
Jan. 3 1915	San Mamés	Basque Country	Catalonia	6 - 1
1914	unknown	Catalonia	Basque Country	x - x
Dec. 1 1912	Barcelona	Catalonia	France	1 - 0
Feb. 20 1912	Paris	France	Catalonia	7 - 0

Current squad

Caps and goals as of December 22, 2009, subsequent to the friendly against Argentina.

Name	DOB	Club	Caps (goals)	Debut
Goalkeepers
Víctor Valdés	(1982-01-14) 14 January 1982	Barcelona	10 (0)	v Chile, 28 December 2001
Jordi Codina	(1982-04-27) 27 April 1982	Getafe	2 (0)	v Colombia, 28 December 2008
Defenders
Bruno Saltor	(1980-10-01) 1 October 1980	Valencia	5 (0)	v Paraguay, 28 December 2005
Joan Capdevila	(1978-02-03) 3 February 1978	Villarreal	8 (0)	v China, 28 December 2002
Gerard Piqué	(1987-02-02) 2 February 1987	Barcelona	4 (0)	v Argentina, 29 December 2004
Carles Puyol	(1978-04-13) 13 April 1978	Barcelona	4 (0)	v Chile, 28 December 2001
Fernando Navarro	(1982-06-25) 25 June 1982	Sevilla	3 (0)	v Costa Rica, 24 May 2006
Oleguer Presas	(1980-02-02) 2 February 1980	Ajax	6 (0)	v Brazil, 25 May 2004
Midfielders
Sergio Busquets	(1988-07-16) 16 July 1988	Barcelona	2 (0)	v Colombia, 28 December 2008
Xavi Hernández	(1980-01-25) 25 January 1980	Barcelona	8 (2)	v Nigeria, 22 December 1998
Sergio González	(1976-11-10) 10 November 1976	Deportivo	13 (1)	v Yugoslavia, 23 December 1999
Joan Verdú	(1983-05-05) 5 May 1983	Espanyol	6 (2)	v Costa Rica, 24 May 2006
Moisés Hurtado	(1981-01-20) 20 January 1981	Espanyol	1 (1)	v Argentina, 22 December 2009
Strikers
Óscar Serrano	(1981-09-30) 30 September 1981	Racing Santander	6 (0)	v Argentina, 29 December 2004
Bojan Krkić	(1990-08-28) 28 August 1990	Barcelona	3 (3)	v Basque Country, 29 December 2007
Sergio García	(1983-06-09) 9 June 1983	Betis	7 (4)	v Ecuador, 28 December 2003
Ferran Corominas	(1983-01-05) 5 January 1983	Espanyol	7 (0)	v Ecuador, 28 December 2003

Selected Players

Paulino Alcántara Domènec Balmanya Sergi Barjuán Estanislao Basora Francisco Bru Albert Celades Josep Escolà Albert Luque Albert Ferrer Romà Forns Gabri García Luis García Andrés Iniesta

Josep Guardiola Marià Gonzalvo Joan Josep Nogués Carles Puyol Antoni Ramallets José Manuel Reina Carles Rexach Sagibarbá Joan Segarra Josep Samitier Alejandro Morera Soto Raúl Tamudo Juan Velasco

Xavi Hernández Ricardo Zamora César Rodríguez Di Stéfano Ladislao Kubala Jesús María Pereda Luis Suárez Evaristo de Macedo Hristo Stoitchkov Jordi Cruyff Johan Neeskens Johan Cruyff Enrique Fernández

Selected former coaches

• Pichi Alonso, 1995-2005
• Johan Cruyff, 2009

Honours

• Copa Príncep d'Astúries
  • Winners 1916. 1917, 1922, 1924, 1926: 5
  • Runners-Up 1915: 1

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