1919. Ricardo Zamora, Legendary Goalkeeper

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  1919. Ricardo Zamora, Legendary Goalkeeper

  Ricardo Zamora was one of the best goalkeepers in the history of football
  

  Hedebuted alongside Samitier and, together, these players marked a turning point inthe Club's sporting history.
  Zamora, nicknamed "el Diví" (The Divine One), only played with Barça for threeseasons, but his performances meant he left his mark on the team.
  
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  1919. Josep Samitier’s Leap to Stardom, Hero of the Masses

  Considered as one of the most emblematic players in the history of FC Barcelona and the best forward in Europe at that time, Josep Samitier led the formidable Barça through its golden age, during the 1920s
  

  Samitier was known by the nickname of “home llagosta” (lobster man) because of his acrobatics on the field and was the first major idol of Catalan football.
  
  He became a society figure and was often seen alongside artists like Carlos Gardel and Maurice Chevalier.
  
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  1922. The Les Corts Football Grounds — Barça’s “Cathedral”

  The Les Corts football grounds, inaugurated on 20 May 1922, were the focal point of the Club’s growth and first golden age
  

  It was one of the best football grounds in Europe at that time. It was designed by Santiago Mestres and Josep Alemany, and cost a total of 991,984.05 pesetas. It had an initial capacity of 22,000 spectators and successive enlargements tripled this capacity to 60,000.
  
  The Les Corts football grounds witnessed three decades of hope and glory, but also saw less successful periods.
  
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  1924. The 25th Anniversary

  FC Barcelona celebrated its 25th anniversary on 7 and 8 December 1924
  

  FC Barcelona celebrated its 25th anniversary on 7 and 8 December 1924, with two matches against Real Unión de Irun at Les Corts football grounds. The occasion was also marked by the “III Challenge Pere Prat” race, in addition to an athletics convention with Spanish and French representatives. At that time the Club had 12,207 members.
  
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  1928. Spanish Cup Champion after an Epic Final in Santander

  The most significant victory of the decade was the Spanish Cup in 1928
  

  At the final, which took place in Santander, Barça beat Real Sociedad (3-1), after the first two matches ended in a draw.
  
  The goalkeeper, Platko, suffered serious injuries during the match and was the day's hero.
  
  For the first time ever, Barça’s victory was broadcast on the radio and the newspapers published special editions.
  
  
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  1929. Barça Wins the First Ever League

  On February 12 1929, a new competition began: the League
  

  In only a few years, this competition would become the championship par excellence of Spanish football. It lasted four and a half months and FC Barcelona was the first champion with twenty-five points, two more than Real Madrid, which finished in second place.
  
  Manuel Parera had the honour of being the team’s first goalscorer in the Spanish League.
  
  However, this victory was not met with great enthusiasm at the time, as football fans thought that the League was an insignificant competition.
  
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  1919-1930 A Golden Age

  The Team Wins Titles and the Players Become Idols
  

  During the 1920s, football became a sport of the masses. FC Barcelona continued to attract huge amounts of support and was viewed as a dream team, comprising star players that became the first Barça idols, such as Samitier, Alcántara, Zamora, Sagi, Piera and Sancho.
  
  This legendary team saw a growth of its fan base, which “prompted” the construction of the football grounds at Les Corts, in 1922; this was the first great Barça stadium. By 1923, the Club had in excess of 10,000 members.
  
  Matches played against Barcelona’s Espanyol team, Barça’s biggest rival at that time, were always met with great expectation from devoted football fans, who followed the team to all its matches. The team enjoyed many years of success at the Les Corts football grounds.