The Penya Blaugrana Cercle Català de Madrid, part of the Federación de Peñas Barcelonistas de Madrid, celebrated its 40th anniversary last Saturday, April 11, with a day full of nostalgia, emotion and festivity. The supporters’ club brought together a strong representation of its members, as well as representatives from other penyes within the Madrid federation who joined the celebration, including PB Guadalajara, PB Sigüenza, PB Alcalá de Henares, PB Torrejón de Ardoz, PB Móstoles and PB Valdemoro. Together, they shared a perfect day of FC Barcelona spirit.
“Llegendaris” event
The celebration began with the “Llegendaris” event, held at the Theatre of the Cercle Català de Madrid. Hosted by Salva Torres, vice president of the Confederació Mundial de Penyes, the event brought together former Barça players Carles Rexach, Ramon Alfonseda and Lluís Pujol, with Aksana Vayevoda and Queralt Arias acting as interviewers. Following a historical introduction covering the period from 1899 to 1966 by Salva Torres, the event focused on significant episodes in Barça’s history, such as the 1966 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the death of Julio César Benítez, the “bottles final”, the Guruceta controversy, the 1973‑74 league title with Johan Cruyff, and the 1979 Cup Winners’ Cup title.
Thanks to the presence of the key figures involved in these events, attendees were able to learn first-hand details that were previously unknown, as well as enjoy entertaining anecdotes from those historic moments. A special tribute was also paid to two recently deceased legends, Johan Neeskens and Hugo “Cholo” Sotil. The final part of the event focused on Joan Casals, the “Avi del Barça”, who received a heartfelt tribute from Salva Torres, Aksana Vayevoda and Queralt Arias, prompting a warm round of applause from the audience.
40th anniversary and Barça victory
The celebration continued with the 40th anniversary meal of PB Cercle Català de Madrid, led by Josep Ramon Casas, president of PB Cercle Català de Madrid, the Federación de Peñas de Madrid, and the Cercle Català de Madrid itself. During his speech, Casas thanked all attendees for their presence and paid tribute to all the members who have been part of the penya over the past four decades. He and Salva Torres also highlighted the figure of Edmundo Bazo, former president of the Federación de Peñas Barcelonistas de Madrid and a key figure in the Barça supporters’ movement.
During the lunch, Carles Rexach, Ramon Alfonseda and Lluís Pujol continued to delight guests with anecdotes from their respective careers as FC Barcelona players. Video messages of congratulations were also shown from Cristina Agüera, vice president of PB Cercle Català de Madrid; Jordi Gairin, President of PB Luxemburg; and José Luis García, a long-standing member of the Madrid-based penya. The celebration concluded with a joint viewing of the Barça–Espanyol match, featuring a resounding blaugrana victory that crowned a memorable day for PB Cercle Català de Madrid.
