Every Barcelona legend to win La Liga as a player and manager
Financial turmoil threaten to cripple their very existence, but Barcelona are back in the big time with Xavi Hernandez at the helm.
A 4-2 victory over local rivals Espanyol sealed a convincing La Liga triumph for La Blaugrana, their first since 2019.
It’s been a mightily difficult period for the Catalonians with mismanagement at the top ultimately leading to the departure of Lionel Messi amid several years of underperformance. Their woes off the pitch proved overbearing, but the return of Joan Laporta as president combined with the club’s faith in a project manager has brought about some stability.
There’s still a long way to go until they’re in the clear, however.
Nevertheless, Xavi’s achievement of guiding Barça to the La Liga title was not only impressive given the context, but he also became just the fifth legend to win the Spanish league title at Camp Nou as both a player and a manager.
Read the latest Barcelona news here
El 4 de mayo de 1972 nos dejaba Josep Samitier Vilalta.
🏟️ 232 Partidos con el Barcelona
🥅 187 Goles🏆 2 Ligas de España
🏆 6 Copas de España
🏆 12 Campeonatos de Catalunya— Jordi Clavero (@CabanesSolar) May 7, 2023
Barcelona’s first ‚great‘ team was their outfit of the 1920s. This was a legendary side coached by the club’s longest-ever serving manager, Englishman Jack Greenwell.
The Catalans were utterly dominant during this period and Samitier was regarded among the club’s superstars. The midfielder, who debuted in 1919, lifted Barcelona’s first-ever La Liga title in 1929 and would retire as the club’s most prolific marksman.
He returned to the club as manager in 1944 during World War II and was a La Liga champion for the second time a year later. Samitier’s a legendary figure in Catalonia, even if his relationship with the club did deteriorate in the 1960s.
Johan Cruyff is the guy at Barcelona. The Dutchman is largely responsible for transforming the club and evolving them into the footballing supergiant they’ve been regarded as throughout the 21st century.
The dazzling Dutch superstar was a majestic playmaker who took his talents to Barcelona in 1973. It didn’t take long for Cruyff to establish himself as a hero in Catalonia, as he helped the club to their first La Liga title since 1960 in 1974.
However, this was just the start of Cruyff’s revolution. His fearless attacking ideals morphed Barça into a juggernaut when he returned as manager in 1988. A club in crisis quickly evolved into Europe’s finest under the Dutchman’s bohemian leadership as they lifted four-straight La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994. Cruyff’s ‚Dream Team‘ mesmerised the masses.
“Nothing in football would be possible without the arrival and the unequalled charisma and talent of Johan Cruyff,” Pep Guardiola says.
Speaking of whom, Guardiola, who won four league titles under Cruyff and two more in the second half of the 90s, was a devoted student of the Dutchman who forged Barcelona’s modern identity.
Pep’s efficiency at the base of midfield went under the radar amid the brilliance of Cruyff’s superlative attackers, but the Spaniard emerged as a protagonist upon returning to the club as boss in 2008.
Barça gambled on Guardiola after parting ways with Frank Rijkaard, but the former midfielder, with the help of the greatest player to ever do it, facilitated the club’s rise to domestic, continental, and global supremacy.
Pep’s Barça are widely regarded as the best team of contemporary times and among the very best in the sport’s history. The six-time La Liga winner as a player lifted three more league titles during his managerial stint.
There’s no denying that Enrique stumbled into an optimal situation at Barcelona in 2014 after an indifferent spell as Roma manager and just one season at Celta Vigo.
His appointment raised eyebrows, that’s for sure, but Enrique swiftly dismissed any doubters as his majestic Barcelona outfit replicated the feat achieved by Pep’s side in 2008/09 by winning the treble.
The Spaniard guided the MSN-inspired Catalans to La Liga glory in his second season, too, which meant he matched his haul as a Barcelona player. Enrique, who won the league title with Real Madrid in 1994/95, joined the club on a free transfer in 1996 and quickly won the hearts and minds of a hesitant fanbase.
He spent eight years at Camp Nou and was eventually named club captain in 2002.
Xavi’s recent title victory as Barcelona boss means he joins the illustrious list.
The Spaniard, who developed as a player under the likes of Louis van Gaal and Rijkaard before emerging as Guardiola’s midfield maestro, has spearheaded Barcelona’s recent resurgence by returning the club to its core values.
Many more successes await the Spaniard in the dugout, but it’ll be tough for Xavi to match the eight league titles he won as a player.
The midfielder enjoyed his apex during the club’s peak years with Guardiola at the helm, and he’s regarded as one of the greatest of his generation.