Those in Barcelona have always been immensely proud of their Catalan identity and fiercely protective of it. For example, during the 2012 Kings Cup final, the Blaugrana faithful booed the Spanish national anthem so loudly that officials attempted to drown them out by increasing the volume. It didn’t work.
When such a strong regional identity was confronted by a hardline nationalist dictator who despised everything it represented, life became extraordinarily difficult for the club and its supporters. Yet rather than weakening their sense of belonging, the pressure only strengthened it.
Francisco Franco ruled Spain from his victory in the Spanish Civil War in 1939 until his death in 1975. The fact that his forces were backed by Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy during the conflict says much about the ideology that shaped his regime. Unfortunately, football was not spared from political interference, and Barcelona certainly wasn’t.
As expected, Franco took an exceptionally dim view of Catalan nationalism. Whenever possible, he sought to ensure that Barcelona’s fierce rivals, Real Madrid, led the way. His government even became involved in the transfer saga of one of the greatest players in football history, ultimately ensuring he wore white.
Before that, Franco made little effort to conceal his hostility towards the club during the early stages of the war, as evidenced by his lack of response when his troops assassinated Barcelona president Josep Sunyol in August 1936.
Sunyol was not only the club’s president but also a prominent left-wing politician and a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia.
On the day of his assassination, he was travelling outside Madrid when he encountered a line of Francoist troops. He was arrested and, without trial, executed by the soldiers.
His death sowed hatred towards Franco among Barcelona supporters before the dictator had even officially taken power. Once he did, relations only deteriorated further. Whenever there was an opportunity to undermine the club off the pitch, it seemed to happen. Franco was often reluctant to directly influence events on the field, but away from it, Barcelona frequently found themselves at a disadvantage.
Ironically, for a significant period after the Second World War, Barcelona remained the dominant force in Spanish football despite being anything but favourites of the regime. Between 1944 and 1953, they won all but two league titles. During the same period, they also claimed three consecutive Copa del Rey trophies between 1951 and 1953.
It was in 1953, however, that Franco’s alleged sympathies became most apparent during the transfer saga of Alfredo Di Stéfano.
The controversy stemmed from the fact that Barcelona had agreed a deal with River Plate, the last FIFA-affiliated club Di Stéfano had played for. Their move followed FIFA regulations and therefore required approval from the governing body.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, negotiated separately with Di Stéfano’s parent club, Colombian side Millonarios, allowing both clubs to claim they held rights to the player from different perspectives.
Eventually, the National Sports Delegation, which was controlled by the Spanish government, ruled that Di Stéfano would alternate seasons between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Feeling humiliated, and convinced their claim was the more legitimate one, Barcelona withdrew from negotiations entirely, leaving Madrid to sign the Argentine outright.
It is important to note that the head of the delegation at the time was General José Moscardó Ituarte. A veteran of the Nationalist side during the Civil War, he had been appointed directly by Franco. Given his background, many have argued that he shared Franco’s hostility towards Barcelona, fuelling suspicions that the regime indirectly influenced the outcome of the transfer.
Di Stéfano’s arrival transformed Real Madrid’s trajectory while condemning Barcelona to one of the most barren league periods in the club’s history.
Barcelona initially resisted Madrid’s rise, winning league titles in 1959 and 1960. However, those triumphs would be their last until 1974, just one year before Franco’s death. It was not entirely bleak, as the club continued to find success in the Copa del Rey, winning the competition three times before Di Stéfano left Madrid and twice more before the regime collapsed.
Meanwhile, the other eight league titles between 1953 and 1964 all went to the Santiago Bernabéu. In the eleven years between Di Stéfano’s departure and Franco’s death, Real Madrid added six more.
Madrid did not merely establish themselves as Spain’s dominant force; they became the first truly dominant team in European football. They won each of the first five European Cups, achievements that served Franco’s propaganda machine wonderfully and elevated Real Madrid’s global stature in the process.
Even after Franco’s death, the shadow of his rule lingered over Barcelona. When the club finally won La Liga in 1974, followed shortly afterwards by the dictator’s passing, many supporters believed the tide was turning. Instead, they endured another eleven-year wait before lifting the title again in 1985, a period that included five consecutive championships for their hated rivals.
Although Barcelona returned to the summit in 1985, it was not until the 1990s that they truly overturned the historical balance. At last, it was their turn to enjoy a sustained period of glory.
The decade brought eight league titles and, most importantly, the club’s first European Cup, won at Wembley in 1992.
The record books show that Barcelona are not the most successful club in Spanish or European football in terms of trophies. Yet many of their greatest victories carry a significance beyond silverware. They were achieved by a club that spent nearly forty years representing a community and a culture determined to preserve its identity against a system designed to suppress it.
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