Johan Cruyff's FC Barcelona, which would later become known as the 'Dream Team', clinched its first official title, the European Cup Winners' Cup, on May 10, 1989 in Bern, the city that famously hosted the 'final of the posts' in the European Cup twenty-eight years earlier. This victory was another example of the 'Flying Dutchman' breaking curses in Barcelona, this time from the sidelines as a coach, just like he did as a player. It has been thirty-five years since that memorable day that marked the beginning of a golden era for the Barcelona club.
Barcelona's participation in the Cup Winners' Cup was a result of their victory in the Copa del Rey the previous season. This title was crucial as it allowed Barcelona to compete in European competition after a disappointing league performance. The season had started with Terry Venables as the coach, but he was soon replaced by Luis Aragonés, who managed to salvage the season with a Cup final win against Real Sociedad (1-0). With the elections looming a year away, Josep Lluís Núñez brought in Johan Cruyff as the coach to counter opposition. This marked the beginning of a new and successful chapter in the club's history after the 'Hesperia Mutiny'.
Despite having a mostly new team, Barcelona's performance in the 88-89 League showed promise. However, Real Madrid, led by the 'Quinta del Buitre', was dominating with additional reinforcements like Bernd Schuster. Barcelona, on the other hand, was still a work in progress. While they competed in the League, they fell short towards the end. It was in the Cup Winners' Cup where they found success, overcoming challenges like a penalty shootout in the round of 16 against Lech Poznan.
After defeating Sredets Sofia in the semi-finals, where Cruyff faced off against Hristo Stoichkov, Barcelona met Vujadin Boskov's Sampdoria in the final, setting the stage for a rematch three years later in the prestigious European Cup.
The disappointment of the final in Seville (1986) was still fresh, but the Berne Cup Winners' Cup marked a new chapter in Barça's history in European tournaments. It provided a significant boost to Cruyff and Rexach's project, allowing it to keep evolving.
On May 10, 1989, Cruyff fielded Zubizarreta; Aloisio, Alexanco, Urbano; Eusebio, Milla (Soler, 61'), Amor, Roberto; Lineker, Salinas, and Begiristain (López Rekarte, 74'). Three of these players would also start at Wembley on May 20, 1992 (Zubi, Eusebio, and Salinas). Alexanco also played in the second final against Sampdoria, where Amor and Txiki were absent due to suspension and injury. Bakero, who played at Wembley, missed the Bern match due to injury, the opposite of Txiki. The shared players between both lineups show the continuity of the project over the years.
Salinas opened the scoring early, after four minutes. Showing great control and resilience, López Rekarte sealed the final in '79. It was a Cup Winners' Cup, the third in Barça's history, with 'Lobo' Carrasco, survivor of the first (ten years before), still in the squad, which brought back European pride to Barcelona fans. This victory also helped heal the old wound of Berne and supported a project that would eventually become the 'Barça Triomfant' that Núñez had promised when he won the presidential elections.
This content has been translated and adapted from the Spanish version of the digital newspaper