The Les Corts: the beginning of the success of FC Barcelona

Alberto Llopis

¿Conoco Camp de Les Corts?, Have you ever heard of him?. When you are speaking of the fief of FC Barcelona, possibly most readers think of the imposing and majestic Camp Nou. That giant arena with capacity for almost 100.000 viewers.

But surely if we readers of a certain age or are consulted older, veterans really, We talk about Les Corts, the stadium saw Kubala, Di Stefano and other players of the time step on your lawn.

El estadio de Les Corts, the place he lived the first successes of Barcelona.

Obviously he not always played Barcelona in the Nou Camp, which opened in 1957 Although Cortes, Nor it was the first stage of Barca. His first steps were in the old Camp de la Indústria.

Cortes was inaugurated on 20 May 1922 with a party that won the Barcelona against Saint Mirren Scottish strike curiosity as to say that the first goal was scored in Les Corts she was designed by the Scottish player Saint Mirren, but an own goal.

It started with a capacity of 30.000 spectators but later was extended to the 45.000. In 1923 was the venue for the final of the Cup of Spain faced Athletic Bilbao against the Catalan Europe which ended in victory for the Basques by one goal to nil.

The public always thronged the stands of Les Corts.

The 14 June 1925, in a friendly match between Barcelona and Jupiter, the band of British Royal Marine (in those days anchored in the port of Barcelona) he played the Spanish and British anthems. The audience whistled loudly as sounded “Royal march” and welcomed during “God Save the King” British. It took six months of suspension finally left the stadium in three.

Already in the 50's with a capacity of 60.000 viewers, Les Corts begins to live his last moments, with the arrival of Ladislao Kubala. Legend says, this true legend of FC Barcelona, He was able with his football dream, Smaller leave 60.000 Les Corts locations and promote the construction of the present gigantic Camp Nou. And is that, a match between Kubala's Barcelona and Real Madrid Of Stefano, I was already a classic able to leave a small stadium sixty years ago.

The 24 September 1957 with the inauguration of the Camp Nou, he ended the afternoon of glory, boots and leather balls truth about the old stadium turf of the legendary Catalan. Although it was not until nearly a decade later, in 1966, when after long qualification processes soil, demolition would begin, thus ending 43 years of football history and nostalgia of early last century.