30.06.2008 16:26
In the footsteps of Olivella, Fusté, Pereda and Zaballa
David Saura
With Spain’s victory in Vienna, three more Barça players have won the European Championship. Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol have followed in the footsteps of Olivella, Fusté, Pereda and Zaballa, the last Barça players to do it.
Spain has won the European Championship for the first time since the tournament was played in Spain
in 1964. On that occasion, Ferran Olivella, a Barça player, was the Spanish captain and lifted the
trophy.
Four in 1964
There were three other Barça players - Josep Maria Fusté, Chus Pereda and Pedro Zaballa
– in the side that won the trophy thanks to a goal by Marcelino. The team also featured Luis
Suárez, who in 1961 had left Barça for Italy.
Since then no other Barça player had won European Championship until Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol,
all products of the Barça academy, picked up the trophy.
Schuster shone in 1980
Other
Barça players came to the club after winning European glory. For instance after winning the trophy
with West Germany in 1980 at the age of 20, Bernd Schuster signed for Barça after a row with his
previous club, Cologne.
Petit wins in 2000
A similar but less significant case is that of Emmanuel Petit. The French defender came to
Barça after his side beat Italy 2-1 in the final in 2000, the year when Barça player Kluivert was
top scorer with five, but due to injury he was unable to play in the final itself.
Koeman also won a year before coming to Barça
Ex-Barça player Ronald Koeman also won the European Championship but not as a Barça player. In 1988
the legendary Dutch team of Gullit, Van Basten, Vanenburg and Rijkaard lifted the cup in Munich. A
year later Koeman came to Barcelona, where he helped to win the club’s first ever European
Cup.