The other Barcelona across the Atlantic

For many the name ‘Barcelona’ connotes images of footballing majesty, of Lionel Messi casually stalking the pitch before springing into action, intricate triangular movement and domestic dominance. Yet, for the minority, the word means something completely different, although on the surface of it, remarkably similar. Cast your minds away from Catalonia and head south-westerly across the Atlantic until you wind up on the shores of Ecuador. Almost certainly you will be greeted with a litany of breathtaking landscape imagery coupled with the peeking tip of Cotopaxi, a pleasant sight undoubtedly. It was in this country, shrouded in natural beauty, that Barcelona SC has developed into the most successful domestic side in the history of Ecuadorian football. 

Barcelona Sporting Club, commonly referred to as Barcelona SC, holds a storied history that spans nearly a century. Eutimio Perez, a Spanish immigrant upon his return to Ecuador established Barcelona SC on October 1, 1925, in Guayaquil, Ecuador - a point of pride in a year that housed the League of Young Officers domestic coup. Perez, hailing from the great Catalan city opted to name his Ecuadorian side Barcelona in the broad hope that his side would develop a footballing identity much like the Spanish side had over the opening two decades of the twentieth century under John Barrow, Jack Greenwall, Jesza Pozsonyi, and Ralph Kirby.

Whilst Ecuador was engaging in various military battles with neighbouring regions under the leadership of five-time President José María Velasco Ibarra, Barcelona SC was firmly establishing itself as the significant footballing force within the country. The Ecuadorian Football Federation professionalised the league in 1951 and from that point until 1967, Barcelona SC claimed five titles and finished runners-up six times. These successes drew them level with cross-town rivals Emelec. In 1960, the club became the first from Ecuador to represent the league at the Copa Libertadores alongside winning their first Ecuadorian Serie A under the guidance of legendary coach Otto Greule. 

Despite strong performances in the early 1970s, the club succumbed to a nine-year dry spell, a period of time in which no silverware waltzed through the Estadio Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo leaving the regular 57,000 capacity ‘Los Toreros’ crowd yearning for a new period of revitalisation and success. This extended trophyless period abruptly ended during the opening year of the 1980’s, claiming their first Serie A since 1971. Barcelona SC, much like the FC Barcelona of today, maintained domestic dominance. Barcelona SC achieved four more titles before the advent of 1990. Throughout the Decade of Greed, it was Barcelona SC who hoarded more trophies than any of their rivals, becoming the first Ecuadorian side to win ten National League titles whilst also reaching the semi-final stage of the Copa Libertadores back-to-back during the 1985/86 and 1986/87 seasons.Yet, in a twist of fate that brings to mind the triad of Spidermen all pointing at one another, Barcelona SC were visited by FC Barcelona in a friendly match during the 1988 Guayaquil City Cup. Despite many at the time, and perhaps those reading now, expecting a simple win for FC Barcelona, it was the Ecuadorian side who claimed a 2-1 victory in what remains a point of historial pride for the Ecuadorian giants.

In much the same style as the contemporary evolution of PSG or Manchester City, Barcelona SC stepped into 1990’s with one overarching task: become the first Ecuadorian side to win the Copa Libertadores. With harrowing semi-final defeats still lurking in the collective club consciousness of Barcelona SC, this task was met with a stolid determination which would come to define the decade. Starting with aplomb, Barcelona SC defeated Argentinian behemoths River Plate 4-3 on penalties in the Semi-Final allowing the Ídolo del Ecuador access to the hallowed final which they dismally lost to 3-1 on aggregate to Peruvian side Olimpia. Similar pain afflicted Barcelona SC during the Semifinals of the 1992 Copa Libertadores of Sao Paulo, adorned with stars such as  Zetti, Cafu, Raí, Palhinha, and Müller, were a task too tough to overcome. A year later, striker Carlos Muñoz tragically lost his life in a car accident at the age of 26. 

As the new millennium approached with apocalyptic fears in tow, Barcelona SC would close out the final decade of the 21st Century strongly, claiming what would be their last Serie A title until 2012 whilst also reaching yet another Copa Libertadores Final, losing once again, this time 4-1 on aggregate to Brazilian side Vasco De Gama. From 1998-2012, the Barcelona SC would fail to claim any meaningful silverware. However, a doublet of different ‘era’s’ would define the post-2012 period. In 2011, Antonio Noboa was elected Club president promising to return the club to its former glory, doing so at the end of the 2012/13 season claiming their 14th Serie A Title. In 2015, Former club goalkeeper José Francisco Cevallos assumed the Presidency of Barcelona SC. The club would go on to win another two more Serie A Titles (2016) and (2020) whilst reaching another Copa Libertadores Semi-Final, losing to Brazilian outfit Gremio. In 2021 the team made headlines when it was chosen by Sergio Agüero for his return to playing football, a project that was short-lived, however. 

Whilst the search for that ever-elusive Copa Libertadores titles looms large, Barcelona SC have redeveloped into a domestic powerhouse. Having optionally sat in the FC Barcelona shadow for close to a century, Barcelona SC are beginning to step out into the light of their own future, aiming to remain true to the fundamentals of Barcelona play whilst forging a unique identity predicated on decades worth of success. Both Barcelona SC and FC Barcelona share the same plight: returning to the top table of continental football, a journey that both sides understand will take some time. As things stand, Barcelona SC look poised once again to have another run at the fabled Copa Libertadores over the coming years. A club created in mimicry, forged with success, and developed under a fiercely unique identity despite the obvious, Barcelona SC remain one of global football’s more enigmatic yet intriguing sides - a narrative that is likely to stick with them throughout the impending decades.