Sarrià Stadium (in Catalan: Estadi de Sarrià ; in Spanish: Estadio de Sarrià) was a football stadium in
Barcelona
Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium was the home of
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
from 1923 to 1997, and was located in the district of
Sarrià Sarria or Sarrià may refer to:
*Sarrià, Barcelona, a neighbourhood in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
**Sarrià-Sant Gervasi, the Barcelona district containing Sarrià
** Sarrià Stadium, a former football stadium in Sarrià, Barcelona
**Sarrià (Bar ...
.
Beginning
The stadium was named after the road in which it was constructed, which linked Barcelona and Sarrià. Construction began on 31 December 1922 under the supervision of architect Matías Colmenares, and the cost was 170,000
pesetas. The initial forecast capacity was for 40,000 spectators, but due to the bankruptcy of the construction company the initial capacity was only for 10,000 spectators.
The opening game was played on 18 February 1923 with
RCD Espanyol
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona (; "Royal Spanish Sports Club of Barcelona"), commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top tier of the Spanish football league s ...
beating UE Sants 4–1, the first goal scored by Vicenç Tonijuan. In 1929 the club won its first Cup in Spain. On 10 February, at the stadium, 'Pitus' Prats scored the first goal of the first Spanish league title. However, although the club won several Catalan Championships they had to wait until 1940 before winning their second cup in Spain.
Successive enlargements
In 1948, Espanyol under club president Paco Saenz, repurchased the stadium, which until then belonged to Riva family, for 5 million pesetas.
In 1951 terracing behind the south goal was demolished, and a new grandstand was built which was overlaid in 1956. In 1960 floodlights were installed.
During the 1960s, several outstanding players such as Cayetano Re, Martial, Rodilla, Jose Maria and Peck played at the Sarrià Stadium, but especially noteworthy were Ladislao Kubala (1963–1964) and Alfredo Di Stefano (1964–1967) who finished his career there.
Manuel Meler, the president at the time, completed the southern tier raised above the new gallery, installed the lower side and reconstructed the north stand, all in twelve years.
The 1980s and 1990s
1982 World Cup
The Sarrià stadium hosted three games of the
1982 FIFA World Cup, with the three matches of Group C in the second round round robin matches, with three of the favourites for the cup playing in this group: Argentina, Brazil, and eventual champions Italy. The key game was the third, in which
Italy defeated Brazil 3-2, in a match regarded as one of the best ever played at a World Cup. The ground was full to capacity for the decisive matches.
Jonathan Wilson, writing about the Brazil v Italy match in 2012, said that its "epic feel" was enhanced by the ground being packed.
Other events
The stadium held the first leg of the
1988 UEFA Cup Final
The 1988 UEFA Cup Final was an association football tie played on 4 May 1988 and 18 May 1988 between RCD Español of Spain and Bayer Leverkusen of West Germany, to determine the champion of the 1987–88 UEFA Cup competition. Leverkusen won 3–2 ...
, in which Espanyol played
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer 04 Leverkusen Fußball GmbH, also known as Bayer 04 Leverkusen (), Bayer Leverkusen, or simply Leverkusen, is a professional football club based in Leverkusen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The club competes in the Bundesliga, t ...
.
Pink Floyd performed at the stadium during their
''A Momentary Lapse of Reason'' Tour" on 20 July 1988 and three days later
George Michael performed at the stadium with his
''Faith'' World Tour.
Sting performed at the stadium during ''
The Soul Cages
''The Soul Cages'' is the third full-length studio album released by English musician Sting. Released on 21 January 1991 it became Sting's second No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. This was Sting's first album to feature guitarist Dominic Mille ...
'' Tour on 12 June 1991.
The venue hosted five
football matches at the
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...
.
1992 Summer Olympics official report
LA84 Foundation; Volume 2; pp. 225-227
Demolition and sale
Espanyol's financial problems forced the company to sell the stadium to property developers. The last game played in Sarrià was against Valencia on 21 June 1997. Espanyol won 3-2 and the last goal was scored by visiting defender Iván Campo
Iván Campo Ramos (born 21 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional footballer. Originally a centre-back, he featured in a defensive midfield role in the later years of his career.
He played for Real Madrid and four other teams in his c ...
. The club then played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys
Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys (, formerly known as the Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc and Estadio de Montjuic) is a stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. Originally built in 1927 for the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, 1929 Internation ...
on Montjuïc
Montjuïc () is a hill in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Etymology
Montjuïc translates to "Jewish Mountain" from medieval Latin and Catalan, and remains of a medieval Jewish cemetery have been found there. Some sources suggest that Montjuïc ...
until 2009, when it moved to the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, located between Cornellà de Llobregat
Cornellà de Llobregat (; es, Cornellá de Llobregat) is a municipality in the ''comarca'' of the Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat River. It is in the south-western part of the Barcelona metr ...
and El Prat de Llobregat
El Prat de Llobregat (), commonly known as El Prat , is a municipality of Spain located in the ''comarca'' of Baix Llobregat in Catalonia. The Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport largely lies within the municipal limits. It is part of ...
.
External links
Estadios de Espana
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarria Stadium
RCD Espanyol
Defunct sports venues in Catalonia
Defunct football venues in Spain
Football venues in Barcelona
1982 FIFA World Cup stadiums
Sarrià-Sant Gervasi
Venues of the 1992 Summer Olympics
Olympic football venues
Multi-purpose stadiums in Spain
Sports venues completed in 1923
1923 establishments in Spain