Latest Gamper Editions
The latest Gamper editions had Barça face other important international teams, such as Roma, Sampdoria, Boca Juniors or Arsenal. In 2017 they faced the Brazilian team Chapecoense as a tribute to the victims of the plane accident from 2016. The most recent matches were against Boca Juniors in 2018 and Arsenal in 2019.
Gamper 2019: FC Barcelona x Arsenal
At Gamper 2019, Barça faced Arsenal in a match that turned favorable for Barcelona's team thanks to a last-minute goal by Luis Suárez. FCB fans were able to see the new season signings live at the Camp Nou: Griezmann, De Jong and Neto.
Gamper 2018: FC Barcelona x Boca Juniors
At Gamper 2018, the first FCB team faces Boca Juniors where Barcelona’s team proved to be much more prepared. The marker opened one of the new signings of that season: Malcom, at minute 18, and sentenced Messi at the end of the first half and Rafinha in the second half. Fans who went to the Camp Nou were able to see the new singings: Malcom, Lenglet, Arthur and Arturo Vidal.
History and Curiosities
The first time the Joan Gamper Trophy was disputed was in 1966, when Enric Llaudet came up with the idea that summer in honor of the club’s founder, Joan Gamper. Since then, it’s held every year, although not always with the same format. Until 1996, it was a four-team match. After 1997, it became a single match.
There have been a total of 54 cups, most of them won by FCB players, making them the team with the most Joan Gamper Trophies. Barça have been champions 42 times, and the German team FC.Köln are the second team to have won the most Gampers after Barça, with two victories.
For over 54 years, there have been many anecdotes and curiosities that can be summarized in the following:
The first champion ever of the Joan Gamper Trophy was F.C. Barcelona in 1966. They played against F.C. Köln, Anderlecht and Nantes in the quadrangular tournament.
The most goals marked during a Gamper happened in 1984. It was during a match where Barça faced the Boca Juniors, where the game ended victoriously for Barcelona with a score of 9-1.
Another interesting fact is that the Joan Gamper Trophy was not always disputed at the Camp Nou. In 1990 and 1996 it was held at Lluís Companys because the Camp Nou was being remodeled.
The last Gamper held as a quadrangular tournament was in 1996 with Barça, Inter Milan, Anderlecht and San Lorenzo de Almagro. The champions were FC Barcelona.
In 2005, all the fans at the Camp Nou saw the birth of a new football legend. Lionel Andrés Messi. When he was only 17 years old, he played against Juventus and had both Barça fans and the rival coach, Fabio Capello, fall in love. Back in the press room, Capello expressed how much he had liked him.
At Gamper 2010, FCB goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto was amazing at stopping all penalty kicks and was the key to the team's victory. The most highlighted moment was when he stopped a penalty kick from Pirlo, from Inter Milan, who had used the Panenka technique: subtle and to the center of the goal.
History of Joan Gamper Trophy games:
There have been a total of over 80 matches played, over 300 goals have been scored and over 20 teams have participated. The player who marked the most goals was Leo Messi with a total of nine.
