Il Barça "Més Que un Club": Le Radici del Catalanismo Blaugrana nel Contesto Della Sportivizzazione Spagnola

Since its emergence, the Barcelona FC has been bonded with a Catalanist feeling. This article explores the origins of this connection, especially focusing on the Francoist period. The Barca’s leadership supported the Catalonia’s autonomy at the beginning of the twentieth century, while during the dictatorship the blaugrana club entered the collective imagination as an Antifrancoist icon. Nevertheless, the government management of the events linked to this club help us to understand Franco’s ability to handle the internal contradictions of the dictatorship.