Catalonia national football team

Catalonia
Nickname(s)	La Selecció (The Selection),; La Segadora (The Reaper)
Association	Catalan Football Federation
Confederation	None
Head coach	Gerard López
Captain	Carles Puyol
Most caps	Sergio González (15)
Top scorer	Sergio García (7)
Home stadium	Camp Nou
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); Spain 7–0 Catalonia ; (Les Corts, Spain; March 13, 1924)

The Catalonia national 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 because the Spanish region of Catalonia is not a state. Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain. However since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams.^[1] Since 1997 they have played international friendly games more regularly. 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. Their most recent friendly game was played in Cornellà-El Prat against opponents Nigeria in January 2013. The game finished in a 1-1 draw and concluded Dutch great Johan Cruyff's stint as coach of the Catalonia national selection.

History

First games

Catalonia national football team made their debut in 1904. Initially they played against various club teams such as Club Espanyol, Madrid CF, FC Barcelona and Irún Sporting Club. On February 2, 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 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 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 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, 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 internationals friendly matches. On March 13, 1924 at the 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 December 13, 1925 Samitier, Zamora, Alcántara and Sagibarba were on the same side as the Catalan XI beat Czechoslovakia at the Sarria. After conceding a penalty and going down 1–0, Sagibarba 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 friendly games 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 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, the dictator Franco imposed several restrictions on Catalonia, abolishing the Generalitat de Catalunya and banning the official use of the Catalan language and the catalan flag. However the Catalan XI continued to play regularly during this period and even played Spain twice. On October 19, 1947 at the Sarrià, 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 the Spanish players like Laszlo Kubala, Luis Suárez, Evaristo and later, Jesús María Pereda, all guested for the Catalan XI. On January 26, 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 September 1, 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 USSR at the Camp Nou on June 6, 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 national team has regularly played international friendly matches. They subsequently put together a string of successful results against great economic countries like Bulgaria, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and Chile. On May 5, 2002 Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up friendly game before the official 2002 FIFA 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 in 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'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.^[4]^[4]

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.^[5]

On 30 December 2011, Catalonia played Tunisia in a goalless draw at Lluís Companys Stadium.^[6]

In their last game under Cruyff on 2 January 2013, Catalonia drew with Nigeria at the Cornellà-El Prat with 1–1.^[7]

Post-Cruyff era

Former player Gerard López was appointed new coach for the Catalan team for 2 years. His first match with the team takes place on 30 December against Cape Verde in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.^[8]

Historical matches

Date	Venue	Home Team	Visitor	Score
Dec. 30 2013	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Cape Verde	4–1
Jan. 2 2013	Cornellà-El Prat, Cornellà de Llobregat	Catalonia	Nigeria	1–1
Dec. 30 2011	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Tunisia	0–0
Dec. 28 2010	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Honduras	4–0
Dec. 22 2009	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Argentina	4–2
Dec. 28 2008	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Colombia	2–1
May 24, 2008	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Argentina	0–1
Dec. 29 2007	San Mamés, Bilbao	Basque Country	Catalonia	1–1
Oct. 8 2006	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Basque Country	2–2
May 24, 2006	Olímpic de Terrassa, Terrassa	Catalonia	Costa Rica	2–0
Dec. 28 2005	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Paraguay	1–1
Dec. 29 2004	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Argentina	0–3
May 25, 2004	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Brazil	2–5
Dec. 28 2003	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Ecuador	4–0
Dec. 28 2002	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	China	2–0
May 18, 2002	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Brazil	1–3
Dec. 28 2001	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Chile	1–0
Dec. 22 2000	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Lithuania	5–0
Dec. 23 1999	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Yugoslavia	1–0
Dec. 22 1998	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Nigeria	5–0
Dec. 23 1997	Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona	Catalonia	Bulgaria	1–1
June 6, 1976	Camp Nou, Barcelona	Catalonia	Soviet Union	1–1
Feb. 21 1971	San Mamés, Bilbao	Basque Country	Catalonia	1–2
Aug. 9 1953	Galileu, Barcelona	Catalonia	Spain	0–6
Oct. 19 1947	Sarrià, Barcelona	Catalonia	Spain	3–1
June 24, 1934	Vista Alegre, Girona	Catalonia	Brazil	2–2
June 17, 1934	Les Corts, Barcelona	Catalonia	Brazil	2–1
Feb. 2 1934	Les Corts, Barcelona	Catalonia	Spain	0–2
Jan. 1 1931	San Mamés, Bilbao	Basque Country	Catalonia	3–2
June 8, 1930	Montjuïc, Barcelona	Catalonia	Basque Country	0–1
July 7, 1926	Sparta, Prague	Czechoslovakia	Catalonia	2–1
Dec. 13 1925	Sarrià, Barcelona	Catalonia	Czechoslovakia	2–1
Mar. 13 1924	Les Corts, Barcelona	Catalonia	Spain	0–7
Apr. 4 1921	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	Provence	1–0
Apr. 3 1921	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	Provence	4–0
June 4, 1916	San Mamés, Bilbao	Basque Country	Catalonia	5–0
May 22, 1916	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	Basque Country	0–0
May 21, 1916	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	Basque Country	1–3
May 13, 1915	Athletic, Madrid	Basque Country	Catalonia	1–0
Feb. 7 1915	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	Basque Country	2–2
Jan. 3 1915	San Mamés, Bilbao	Basque Country	Catalonia	6–1
Dec. 1 1912	Camp de la Indústria, Barcelona	Catalonia	France	1–0
Feb. 20 1912	Colombes, Paris	France	Catalonia	7–0

Results and fixtures

2 January 2013	Catalonia	1–1	Nigeria	Barcelona
19:00 CET	Sergio González (penalty) 2'		Bright Dike 55'	Stadium: Cornellà-El Prat Referee: Estrada Fernández

30 December 2013	Catalonia	4–1	Cape Verde	Barcelona
19:00 CET	Sergio García 16', 18' Bojan Krkić 19' Oriol Riera 64'		Djaniny 10'	Stadium: Olímpic Lluís Companys Attendance: 20,700 Referee: Álvarez Izquierdo

Current squad

The following players were called up for the match against Cape Verde on 30 December 2013.

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	1GK	Jordi Codina	(1982-04-27) 27 April 1982 (age 42)	4	0	Getafe
13	1GK	Kiko Casilla	(1986-01-02) 2 January 1986 (age 38)	4	0	Espanyol

11	2DF	Joan Capdevila	(1978-02-03) 3 February 1978 (age 46)	10	0	Espanyol
3	2DF	Gerard Piqué	(1987-02-02) 2 February 1987 (age 37)	7	0	Barcelona
15	2DF	Marc Bartra	(1991-01-15) 15 January 1991 (age 33)	3	0	Barcelona
2	2DF	Martín Montoya	(1991-04-14) 14 April 1991 (age 33)	3	0	Barcelona
18	2DF	Jordi Alba	(1989-03-21) 21 March 1989 (age 35)	2	0	Barcelona
4	2DF	Marc Valiente	(1987-03-20) 20 March 1987 (age 37)	1	0	Valladolid
17	2DF	Víctor Álvarez	(1993-03-14) 14 March 1993 (age 31)	1	0	Espanyol
12	2DF	Oriol Rosell	(1992-07-07) 7 July 1992 (age 32)	1	0	Kansas City

16	3MF	Sergio Busquets	(1988-07-16) 16 July 1988 (age 36)	6	0	Barcelona
10	3MF	Cesc Fàbregas	(1987-05-04) 4 May 1987 (age 37)	3	0	Barcelona
21	3MF	Sergi Roberto	(1992-08-21) 21 August 1992 (age 31)	3	0	Barcelona
6	3MF	Víctor Sánchez	(1987-09-08) 8 September 1987 (age 36)	2	0	Espanyol
5	3MF	Jordi Xumetra	(1985-10-24) 24 October 1985 (age 38)	1	0	Levante
14	3MF	David López	(1989-10-09) 9 October 1989 (age 34)	1	0	Espanyol

7	4FW	Sergio García	(1983-06-09) 9 June 1983 (age 41)	11	7	Espanyol
9	4FW	Bojan Krkić	(1990-08-28) 28 August 1990 (age 33)	7	6	Ajax
20	4FW	Piti	(1981-05-26) 26 May 1981 (age 43)	4	0	Granada
22	4FW	Cristian Tello	(1991-08-11) 11 August 1991 (age 33)	2	0	Barcelona
19	4FW	Oriol Riera	(1986-07-03) 3 July 1986 (age 38)	1	1	Osasuna
8	4FW	Aleix Vidal	(1989-08-21) 21 August 1989 (age 34)	1	0	Almería

Recent callups

The following players have been called up for the team in the last two years.

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1GK	Víctor Valdés	(1982-01-14) 14 January 1982 (age 42)	12	0	Barcelona

2DF	Carles Puyol	(1978-04-12) 12 April 1978 (age 46)	6	0	Barcelona
2DF	Andreu Fontàs	(1989-11-14) 14 November 1989 (age 34)	2	0	Celta
2DF	Jordi Amat	(1992-03-21) 21 March 1992 (age 32)	2	0	Swansea City
2DF	Raúl Rodríguez	(1987-09-22) 22 September 1987 (age 36)	1	0	Espanyol
2DF	Dídac Vilà	(1989-06-09) 9 June 1989 (age 35)	1	0	Betis
2DF	Sergio Juste	(1992-01-12) 12 January 1992 (age 32)	1	0	Barcelona

3MF	Xavi Hernández	(1980-01-25) 25 January 1980 (age 44)	10	2	Barcelona
3MF	Joan Verdú	(1983-05-05) 5 May 1983 (age 41)	9	2	Betis
3MF	Javi Márquez	(1986-05-11) 11 May 1986 (age 38)	1	0	Elche
3MF	Sergio Tejera	(1990-05-28) 28 May 1990 (age 34)	1	0	Espanyol
3MF	Albert Puigdollers	(1980-10-30) 30 October 1980 (age 43)	1	0	Badalona

4FW	Ferran Corominas	(1983-01-05) 5 January 1983 (age 41)	8	1	Elche
4FW	Jonathan Soriano	(1985-09-24) 24 September 1985 (age 38)	4	1	Red Bull Salzburg
4FW	Álvaro Vázquez	(1991-04-27) 27 April 1991 (age 33)	3	0	Swansea City
4FW	Isaac Cuenca	(1991-04-27) 27 April 1991 (age 33)	1	0	Barcelona

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 FC Barcelona at the time. Notice that some players, as Andrés Iniesta or Jordi Cruyff 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–

Honours

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

Notes

^ esportcatala.com^{[dead link]}
^ "4–2: Catalunya suma un triunfo de prestigio frente a Argentina" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 22 December 2009.
^ fcbarcelona.com^{[dead link]}
^ ^a ^b "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.

External links

[1] sportcatala.com^{[dead link]}

[2] "4–2: Catalunya suma un triunfo de prestigio frente a Argentina" (in Spanish). El Mundo Deportivo. 22 December 2009.

[3] rcelona.com^{[dead link]}

[cruyffcoach-4] "Cruyff will coach Catalonia team". BBC News. 2 November 2009.

[5] "Catalonia defeats Honduras". La Prensa.hn (Honduran national newspaper). 29/12/2010.

[6] "Catalonia draws with Tunisia". El Periódico de Catalunya (Catalionian newspaper) 31/12/2011.

[7] "Catalunya empata con Nigeria en la despedida de Cruyff". ElPeriodico.com. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2013.

[gerardlopez-8] "Catalunya jugará contra Cabo Verde el 30 de diciembre". Lavanguardia.com. 15 November 2013.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

v t e International association football
FIFA Federations Teams Competitions World Cup U-20 U-17 Olympics Youth Olympics Universiade World Rankings The Best FIFA Football Awards Timeline
Africa	CAF – Africa Cup of Nations U-23 U-20 U-17 African Nations Championship Regional CECAFA CEMAC COSAFA WAFU Intercontinental Arab
Asia	AFC – Asian Cup U-23 U-20 U-17 Regional ASEAN AFF-EAFF Central East South West Intercontinental Arab
Europe	UEFA – Euro U-21 U-19 U-17 Nations League Intercontinental CONMEBOL–UEFA
North & Central America and the Caribbean	CONCACAF – Gold Cup U-20 U-17 U-15 Nations League
Oceania	OFC – Men's Nations Cup U-19 U-16/U-17
South America	CONMEBOL – Copa América U-20 U-17 U-15 Intercontinental CONMEBOL–UEFA
Non-FIFA	CONIFA – CONIFA World Football Cup CONIFA European Football Cup CONIFA South America Football Cup CONIFA Africa Football Cup ODEBO – Bolivarian Games ODESUR – South American Games World Unity Football Alliance (WUFA)
Games	African Games Arab Games Asian Games Central America Games Central America and Caribbean Games East Asian Games Jeux de la Francophonie Goodwill Games Indian Ocean Island Games Island Games Islamic Solidarity Games Lusofonia Games Mediterranean Games Micronesian Games Pan American Games Pacific Games Pacific Mini Games South Asian Games Southeast Asian Games West Asian Games
See also Geography Codes Player/Club of the Century Women's football

v t e Spanish autonomous community football teams
Men's	Andalusia Aragon Asturias Balearic Islands Menorca Basque Country Biscay Gipuzkoa Canary Islands Cantabria Castile-La Mancha Castile and León Catalonia Ceuta Extremadura Galicia La Rioja Madrid Melilla Murcia Navarre Valencian Community
Women's	Asturias Balearic Islands Basque Country Cantabria Catalonia Galicia Navarre
Spanish stage of the UEFA Regions' Cup