Fifty years of history (1957-1982)

With the building of the Camp Nou, FC Barcelona put itself on the same level as other major European football clubs, with a first class stadium in which to stage top class football. Let’s look back over the first 25 years of its existence.

24/09/1957. Inauguration of the Camp Nou: The inaugural match between Barça and a Poland XI. Barça won the match 4-2 with goals from Eulogio Martínez, who scored the first ever goal in the Camp Nou, Tejada, Sampedro and Evaristo.

01/05/1958. First Fairs Cup: The first trophy to be won in the Camp Nou. Barça lifted the Fairs Cup after beating a London XI 6-0 in the return leg. Goals from Luis Suárez (2), Eulogio Martínez (2) and Evaristo (2).

29/06/1958. Testimonial match for Basora: Barça beat Enschede 8-3 in a testimonial match for Catalan winger Estanislau Basora, who hung up his boots after 12 seasons with Barça.

01/03/1959. Testimonial match for the Orfeó Català: Friendly between Barça and Nimes in honour of this Catalan cultural institution

23/09/1959. Inauguration of the Camp Nou floodlights: The second round of the 1959-60 European Cup between FC Barcelona and CDNA Sofia (6-2). The first match to be played at night.

4/05/1960. Success in the Fairs Cup: Barça beat Birmingham 4-1 in the return leg of the final and won the trophy.

30/08/1961: Testimonial match for Kubala: A heartfelt tribute by the Club in a match against Stade Reims, which Barça won 4-3. Kubala said farewell to Barça at the age of 34, after playing 348 matches and scoring 272 goals.

06/03/1962. Testimonial match for Ramallets: An emotional Camp Nou tribute to the legendary goalkeeper who served the Club for 16 years. Barça beat Hamburg 5-1.

23/06/1963. Final of the Generalísimo Cup: After eliminating Elche, Valladolid and Valencia, Barça reached the final and beat Zaragoza 3-1 with goals from Pereda, Kocsis and Zaldua.

09/09/1964. Testimonial match for Segarra: The great team captain said farewell to the Barça fans in a testimonial match against Borussia Dortmund (4-2).

30/08/1966. The first Joan Gamper Trophy: Barça beat Anderlecht 2-1 in the inaugural edition of the trophy dedicated to the memory of the founder of FC Barcelona.

22/09/1971. Final of the last Fairs Cup: Barça lifted the Fairs Cup thanks to a 2-1 win against Leeds United, both goals scored by Dueñas. It was the last time this competition was held.

24/05/1972. Final of the European Cup Winners Cup: Camp Nou hosted the final between Glasgow Rangers and Dynamo Moscow (3-2). This match will be remembered by the serious damage caused by the Scottish fans during the victory celebrations.

31/10/1973. First World Football Day: A match between a European XI and an American XI, which ended in a 4-4 draw. It featured players such as Cruyff, Eusebio, Keita and Facchetti.

22 /12/1973. An incredible goal by Cruyff: In a league match against Atlético Madrid (2-1), the Dutch genius received a pass from Reixach and produced an acrobatic shot that flew into the back of the net.

27/11/1974. 75th anniversary of FC Barcelona: To celebrate the event, the Barça anthem was sung for the first time at a match between Barça and the German Democratic Republic (2-1).

09/06/1976. First match of the Catalan national team: Camp Nou hosted the first match featuring the Catalan national side since the end of the Franco dictatorship. Catalonia drew 1-1 with Russia.

30/10/1977. First visit of President Tarradellas: The newly restored president of the Generalitat (Government) of Catalonia, Josep Tarradellas, was present for the first time in the presidential box of the Camp Nou. Barça beat Las Palmas 5-0.

27/05/1978. Johan Cruyff’s last match: After five years with the Club, the Dutch international said goodbye to the fans in a friendly against Ajax (3-1).

16/12/1980. UNICEF benefit match: Barça beat a Humane Stars XI 3-2 in a match to raised money for UNICEF.

24/06/1981. Festival of Catalan culture: With the slogan ‘Som una nació’ (we are a nation), Barça took part in an event to celebrate the Catalan language, culture and nationhood in the Camp Nou.

12/05/1982. Final of the European Cup Winners Cup: Barça beat Standard Liege 2-1.

13/06/1982. Inauguration of the 1982 World Cup: Camp Nou hosted the opening match of the World Cup between Argentina and Belgium (0-1). The stadium was renovated for the occasion and the capacity increased by 28,000 spectators.

07/11/1982. Mass given by John Paul II: On a visit to Barcelona, the Pope gave a mass before a congregation of 120,000 worshippers in the Camp Nou. The Club awarded the Pope a Club membership card.