Catalonia national football team
Association | Catalan Football Federation (Federació Catalana de Futbol) | ||
---|---|---|---|
Confederation | None | ||
Head coach | Gerard López | ||
Captain | Marc Bartra | ||
Most caps | Sergio García (16)[1] | ||
Top scorer | Sergio García (9) | ||
Home stadium | Camp Nou Stage Front Stadium Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys Estadi Montilivi | ||
FIFA code | CAT | ||
| |||
First international | |||
Not FIFA results Paris 3–1 Catalonia (San Sebastián, Spain; 24 July 1910) FIFA results France 7–0 Catalonia (Paris, France; 21 February 1912) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Not FIFA results Catalonia 9–0 Brussels (Barcelona, Spain; 16 June 1927) FIFA results Catalonia 6–0 Jamaica (Girona, Spain; 25 May 2022) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Spain 7–0 Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain; 13 March 1924) France 7–0 Catalonia (Paris, France; 21 February 1912) |
The Catalonia national football team (Catalan: Selecció de futbol de Catalunya) is the official football team of Catalonia. It is organised by the Catalan Football Federation, founded in 1900. The team has been referred to by various names including Selecció Catalana, Selecció de Barcelona and the Catalan XI.
As the Catalan Federation is affiliated with the Royal Spanish Football Federation as one of the several Spanish regional football federations, Catalonia cannot be affiliated with either FIFA or UEFA as a national member association and is therefore not allowed to participate in official competitions for national teams such as the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA European Championship. Other than in certain cases where other nationalities are involved, Catalan players are full Spanish citizens who are eligible to play for Spain, and often do.[2]
Since 1904, the team has played nearly 200 games against various national, regional and club teams.[3] International friendly games have been played more regularly since 1997. Among the teams they have played are Nigeria, Brazil, and Argentina.
History
First games
The Catalonia team made their debut in 1905 Initially they played against various club teams such as
On 8 December 1912, Catalonia faced a selection of foreigners at the
Copa Príncep d'Astúries
Between 1915 and 1926, the Catalan XI competed in the
As well as playing other regional teams from throughout
Catalonia vs. Brazil
During the 1930s, Catalonia continued playing friendly games against an array of teams; 1934 was a particularly good year. On 2 February, they played Spain and lost 2–0 at Les Corts. Four months later, they played Brazil twice. On 17 June, the Catalan XI beat Brazil 2–1 at Les Corts and then on 24 June, 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
During this era, several notable Barcelona players, including the Spanish players
The Catalan XI marked the end of the Franco era with a friendly game against the Soviet Union at the Camp Nou on 6 June 1976. The team included Carles Rexach, guest Netherlands players Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens and Chilean international Carlos Caszely who played for Espanyol. 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 representative team has regularly played international friendly matches. They put together a string of successful results against countries like Bulgaria, Nigeria, Yugoslavia, Lithuania and Chile. On 5 May 2002, Catalonia hosted Brazil in a warm up friendly game before the official 2002 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 at 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 era
On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Dutch legend and former Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff would be the new coach of Catalonia.
Post-Cruyff era
Former player Gerard was appointed new coach for the Catalan team for two years. His first match with the team took place on 30 December 2013 against Cape Verde at the Olímpic Lluís Companys.[15]
Fixtures and results
2022
25 May[a] Friendly | Catalonia | 6–0 | Jamaica | Girona, Catalonia |
18:45 | Deulofeu 3', 28', 44' Bartra 35' Jutglà 74' Puado 88' |
Report | Stadium: Estadi Montilivi Attendance: 6,124 Referee: Victor Garcia Verdura (Spain) |
2023
2024
Coaching staff
Manager history
- Pichi Alonso (1995–2005)
- Pere Gratacós (2005–2009)
- Johan Cruyff (2009–2013)
- Gerard López (2013–2016)
- Sergio González(2015–2018)
- Gerard López (2018–present)
Players
Due to the unofficial status of the Catalonia team and others, many of the usual conventions of international football do not apply. Players who have already appeared for a FIFA national team can play for the Catalans in addition, but if they are simultaneously called up for both, the FIFA squad (usually
Current squad
The following players were called up for the friendly match against Jamaica, on 25 May 2022.[18][19]
All caps and goals as of May 2022 after match against Jamaica.
No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GK | Édgar Badía
|
12 February 1992 | 3 | 0 | Zaragoza | |
GK | Daniel Cárdenas | 28 March 1997 | 1 | 0 | Rayo Vallecano | |
DF | Marc Bartra | 15 January 1991 | 7 | 1 | Betis | |
DF | Sergi Gómez | 28 March 1992 | 3 | 0 | Espanyol | |
DF | Marc Cucurella | 22 July 1998 | 2 | 0 | Chelsea | |
DF | Salva Ferrer | 21 January 1998 | 1 | 0 | Anorthosis | |
DF | Edgar González | 1 April 1997 | 1 | 0 | Almería | |
DF | Arnau Martínez | 25 April 2003 | 1 | 0 | Girona | |
DF | Óscar Mingueza | 13 May 1999 | 1 | 0 | Celta Vigo | |
DF | Àlex Moreno
|
8 June 1993 | 1 | 0 | Aston Villa | |
DF | Brian Oliván | 1 April 1994 | 1 | 0 | Espanyol | |
DF | Rubén Sánchez | 9 January 2001 | 1 | 0 | Mirandés | |
MF | Riqui Puig | 13 August 1999 | 2 | 0 | LA Galaxy | |
MF | Oriol Romeu | 24 September 1991 | 2 | 0 | Barcelona | |
MF | Rubén Alcaraz | 1 May 1991 | 1 | 0 | Cádiz | |
MF | Carles Aleñá | 5 January 1998 | 1 | 0 | Getafe | |
MF | Álex Collado | 22 April 1999 | 1 | 0 | Al-Okhdood | |
MF | Gerard Gumbau | 18 December 1994 | 1 | 0 | Granada | |
FW | Cristian Tello | 11 August 1991 | 3 | 0 | Al Fateh | |
FW | Gerard Deulofeu | 13 March 1994 | 2 | 3 | Udinese | |
FW | Pere Milla | 23 September 1992 | 2 | 0 | Espanyol | |
FW | Javi Puado | 25 May 1998 | 2 | 2 | Espanyol | |
FW | Ferran Jutglà | 1 February 1999 | 1 | 1 | Club Brugge |
Recent call-ups
The following players have been called up for the team within the last played matches and are still available for selection.
Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club | Latest call-up |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DF | Héctor Bellerín | 19 March 1995 | 0 | 0 | Betis | v. Jamaica, 25 May 2022 PRE |
MF | Sergio Gómez | 4 September 2000 | 0 | 0 | Manchester City | v. Jamaica, 25 May 2022 PRE |
MF | Dani Olmo | 7 May 1998 | 0 | 0 | RB Leipzig | v. Jamaica, 25 May 2022 PRE |
FW | Aitor Ruibal | 22 March 1996 | 0 | 0 | Betis | v. Jamaica, 25 May 2022 PRE |
|
Notable players
- For a list of recent Catalonia national team players, see here
- For a list of players from Catalonia who have represented FIFA national teams, see here
Guest players
Because Catalonia is not a member of either UEFA or FIFA due to it being a region of Spain and plays only in unofficial friendly matches, normal eligibility rules based on birthplace do not apply, and a number of players who were not born in Catalonia and played for other international teams have guested for the Catalan XI, although this is much less frequent in the 21st century. With the notable exception of
had lived a large part of their lives in Catalonia due to their football careers.- Andrés Iniesta
- César Rodríguez
- Chus Pereda
- Francisco Bru
- Gallego
- Guillermo Amor
- José Bravo
- José Luis Zabala
- José María
- Josema Rodilla
- Juan José Nogués
- Juan Velasco
- Juan Verdugo Pérez
- Luis Suárez
- Manuel Osorio
- Manuel Polinario
- Manuel Sanchis Martinez
- Marcial Pina
- Miguel Ángel Ochoa
- Nando García
- Pepe Reina
- Quique Costas
- Rosendo Hernández
- Severiano Goiburu
- Simón Lecue
- Other countries
- Alejandro Morera Soto
- Carlos Caszely
- Dagoberto Moll
- Enrique Fernández
- Eulogio Martínez
- Evaristo de Macedo
- Hristo Stoichkov
- Hugo Sotil
- Johan Neeskens
- László Kubala
- Luis César Ortiz
- Marcel Domingo
- Melanio Olmedo
- Nasko Sirakov
Honours
Head-to-head record
- As of 25 May 2022
Opponent | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Argentina[b] | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | −2 | 33.33 |
Brazil | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | −4 | 25.00 |
Bulgaria | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
Cape Verde | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 100.00 |
Chile | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
China | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
Colombia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
Costa Rica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | +2 | 100.00 |
Czechoslovakia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 50.00 |
Ecuador | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 100.00 |
Yugoslavia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | +1 | 100.00 |
France | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | −6 | 50.00 |
Honduras | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | +4 | 100.00 |
Jamaica | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 100.00 |
Lithuania | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | +5 | 100.00 |
Nigeria | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | +5 | 50.00 |
Paraguay | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
Soviet Union | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | +0 | 0.00 |
Spain | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 16 | −13 | 25.00 |
Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +0 | 0.00 |
Venezuela | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 100.00 |
Total (21 opponents) | 33 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 63 | 55 | +8 | 51.52 |
See also
- Spain national football team
- Catalonia national basketball team
- Catalan football championship
- Catalonia women's national football team
Notes and references
Notes
- ^ The Catalonia v Jamaica match, originally scheduled for 30 March 2020 at the Camp d'Esports, Lleida was postponed due to the coronavirus. The match was later rescheduled to 25 May 2022 at the Estadi Montilivi, Girona.
- ^ Including one match against the Argentina Olympic squad in 2008.
References
- ^ Melgar, Blai (25 March 2019). "Sergio García fa història amb la selecció catalana" [Sergio García makes history with the Catalan national team]. El Món (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 28 November 2019. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
- ^ a b c "Catalonia and Basque Country reignite call for independent national football identities". The Telegraph. 30 December 2013. Archived from the original on 2022-01-12. Retrieved 28 June 2014.
- ^ esportcatala.com Archived 10 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Catalonia 0-7 France". hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Hemeroteca. 22 February 1912. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "Catalonia 0-7 France". hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). Hemeroteca. 22 February 1912. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
- ^ "Vasconia-Cataluña" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo. 4 January 1915. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
- ^ "Cataluña - Centro (3 - 2) 25/02/1924". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d Vicente Martínez Calatrava (17 August 2009). "La Copa Príncipe de Asturias" [The Prince of Asturias Cup] (in Spanish). CIHEFE. Archived from the original on 14 April 2019. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Squad of Asturias 1925-26 Copa del Príncipe de Asturias". www.bdfutbol.com. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "Spain 7–0 Catalonia". hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com (in Spanish). MundoDeportivo. 14 March 1924. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Cruyff will coach Catalonia team". BBC News. 2 November 2009.
- ^ "Catalonia defeats Honduras" Archived 2010-12-30 at the Wayback Machine. 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.
- ^ a b Matt Davis (13 October 2018). "Basque Country: The Spain internationals playing for a different team". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
- ^ "Spanish clubs refuse to release players for Catalonia-Venezuela friendly". The Local. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 27 March 2019.
- ^ "FCF | la convocatòria oficial del Catalunya-Jamaica".
- ^ "FCF | Pere Milla i Ferran Jutglà entren a la convocatòria del Catalunya – Jamaica".