FCBARCELONA.CAT

26.05.2010 11:55

League titles come in pairs

Jesús Carrillo

Barca fans around the world are celebrating the Club’s 20th league title. Curiously enough, most of these titles have been won in consecutive years.

A quick look at the stats will confirm that Barca have won 16 of their league titles in bursts of at least two consecutive years, so that only 4 of the titles have been one-offs.

From Enric Fernandez to Pep Guardiola

Enric Fernandez was the first Barca manager to win two consecutive titles in the 1947/48 and48/49 seasons, helped by players such as the Gonzalo brothers, Basora, Seguer and the goalkeeper Velasco. Four years later it was the turn of Fernando Daucik with Ramallets, Segarra, Kubala, Moreno and Manchón among the outstanding players.

Helenio Herrera

However, the 1958/59 and 1959/60 seasons proved to be among the most exciting so far, with Helenio Herrera’s men beating arch rivals Real Madrid (managed by Miguel Muñoz) to the title in two hotly contested championships.

30 years later with the Dream Team

Then came the wilderness years and the Club had to wait until the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons, with Johan Cruyff in charge, to once again win 2 consecutive titles. That team went one better than its predecessors and repeated their success in the following two seasons – the first and only time that Barca has won 4 consecutive league titles.

Van Gaal, Rijkaard and Guardiola

Something about the Cruyff years passed down to Louis van Gaal and Frank Rijkaard, both of whom won two league titles in a row: Van Gaal in1997/98 and 1998/99, and Frank Rijkaard in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Now, Pep Guardiola has become the seventh Barca manager to join this exclusive club and who knows if he will go on to emulate Cruyff’s all-time record of 4 consecutive league titles.