The 8 Englishmen to have managed Barcelona – & how they fared

Barcelona is one of the most prestigious and successful football clubs in the world, one any coach would dream of managing. Eight Englishmen have done just that, to varying degrees of success.

It is quite difficult to imagine an English coach in the dugout at Barcelona these days, but that does not mean there is not a rich history of them at the Catalan club.

In fact, English immigrants were involved in the very foundation of FC Barcelona in 1899 and there was plenty of English influence on the club throughout its early years.

Though it diminished in degree, that influence carried on for decades, with the most recent of Barcelona’s English bosses taking charge for one season in 1996-97 and winning three trophies.

We’ve taken a look back at his Barcelona reign and the reigns of the other seven Englishmen who’ve taken charge of the Catalan behemoth.

Robson was that most recent British Barca boss, and though his spell in charge lasted only a season, it was a rollercoaster of emotions.

The County Durham-born coach had the unenviable task of following the great Johann Cruyff, who transformed the club as both player and manager.

At first, Robson did well, leading Barca to the La Liga summit by October with some high-scoring wins. But a wobble came; Barca lost three and drew two of their eight matches between February 2 and March 9.

When Atletico Madrid went to Camp Nou on March 12 for the second leg of their Copa Del Rey quarter-final and took a 3-0 lead, the terraces were calling for Robson to go.

But in a stunning second period, Ronaldo Fenomeno – who Robson had told the Barcelona president to sign – repaid his manager’s faith, scoring a blistering hat-trick. Luis Figo and Juan Antonio Pizzi also found the target as Barca