Friday, November 29, 2024, marks the 125-year anniversary of the formation of FC Barcelona.
To mark the occasion, The Athletic is running a series of pieces, celebrating the people and the moments who have helped make the club what it is today.
We have told you about the story of Joan Gamper, the man who founded the club, and run through some of the most significant numbers in Barca’s history. Now, we look at the scarcely believable story of when their star striker, Quini, was kidnapped in 1981…
“Quini’s wife called me at four o’clock in the morning. She told me he hadn’t come home that night and that she hadn’t heard anything from him.”
Former Barcelona president Joan Gaspart is talking to The Athletic about one of the most unusual incidents in the club’s history.
It was Sunday, March 1, 1981, and Gaspart was vice-president. Barca had beaten Hercules 6-0 at the Camp Nou and La Liga’s top scorer Quini had provided two goals. Barca looked on course for the Spanish title — something that had not happened since 1973-74, in Johan Cruyff’s playing days and when Quini was scoring goals for Sporting Gijon instead.
There was a sense of euphoria in the city and among the players, who decided to go for dinner at a restaurant near the ground.
It was the restaurant Can…
