Barcelona vs Bayern: End of era

 During the match, the great Lionel Messi turned his back, head to the ground out of despair or maybe out of shame. That was after the seventh goal in the match that ended with a stunning 8-2 score for Bayern Munich in the quarter finals of the 2020 Champions League.

             

 Barcelona was stunned with a performance from Bayern Munich that was unprecedented. Barcelona’s players were almost standing not knowing how to deal with the speed and agility  of Bayern Munich’s players, it was as if they were dreaming hoping that this dream would end soon. Bayern Munich team showed a great attacking style and some eagerness to win whereas Barcelona’s players displayed not the slightest perseverance.

 Not even in the wildest imagination of anybody this scenario was present.  That was normal due to the aura surrounding Barcelona’s team and also for its great history.

Barcelona is renowned for its rich history and its attacking football that was mostly their strategy throughout the years. FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 by businessman Joan Gamper. The club’s first trophy was the Copa Mocaya (Catalan Championship) in 1902 and in 1910 Barca won the Copa del Ray (King’s Cup). In total, Barca won 30 Copas del Ray, more than any other team.

La Liga, the top Spanish football league, was formed in 1929 and Barcelona was the first title holder in the league’s inaugural season. The club has won La Liga 26 times.

On the European level, Barcelona has won the European Cup Winner’s Cup four times and the Champions League five times.

The best years of the club’s history were the years between 2009 and 2016. As from the season of 2008/2009 when Josep Guardiola took charge as the head coach, Barca developed and improved their attacking style. Josep also encouraged basing the team around its own youth. The result was Barcelona’s win of all major trophies in one year, including the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Ray, the Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, and Club’s World cup. It was something unprecedented in the history of European football. 

So with such a name and history how come Barcelona has fallen from a place of majesty to such a relapse? Gerard Pique answered that after the match in an interview where he said that now Barcelona needs a revolution; a total reform and if some old players are meant to leave for the good of the club, he would be the first willing to leave.

That is the answer; for the name of a great entity to remain through the years, its old members should know when it is time to reform and step down for the youth to lead.