The last time was in 2004
Barça has not lost its Copa del Rey debut for 20 years
The Blaugrana team is the team that has won this award the most times, but this does not mean that, some time ago, it had some slip-ups and was left out at the first opportunity
The Copa del Rey is a tournament that Barça is very good at. That is why it is the club that leads the ranking of most tournaments won with 31, seven trophies above the second, Athletic Club, which has 24. For seasons now, the culé team has been used to reaching the final stages and, if they are eliminated, it is usually in exciting duels. However, this has not always been the case, they have also had some slip-ups in the first round.
In fact, their progress in the aforementioned competition was not very good in the first years of this century. Their beginnings in 2001, 2002 and 2004 meant their elimination in the thirty-second round, something very surprising for a club of the category of FC Barcelona. The last time was just over 20 years ago, however, it sets a dangerous statistic for this match against UD Barbastro, which will take place this Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Figueres and Novelda were the first to be beaten
On 7 November 2001, a Barça team managed by Carles Rexach visited Figueres to play the first round of the Copa del Rey. The eleven proposed by the Catalan coach was clearly superior to that of his rival, with very important players: Reina; Puyol, Andersson, Fernando Navarro; Rochemback, Xavi, Gerard López, Alfonso (Thiago Motta, 51’); Geovanni, Saviola (Dani, 70’), Overmars (Trashorras, 94’). After a bad game, Kali Garrido led the visitors to disaster when, in added time, he scored the goal that made it 1-0. The Blaugrana coach at the time called the game 'ridiculous', something that did not sit well with his pupils.
After the disaster of the previous season, the Blaugrana team did not learn its lesson. On 11 September 2002, Novelda was responsible for knocking FC Barcelona, managed by Van Gaal, out of the Copa del Rey in the 32nd round. The line-up for that match was: Enke; Reiziger, Frank de Boer, Fernando Navarro; Gabri (Mendieta, 67’), Xavi, Rochemback (Saviola, 79’), Thiago Motta, Gerard López; Riquelme, Geovanni. The Catalans took the lead (0-1), the hosts overcame it (2-1), Riquelme equalised (2-2) and Madrigal, who had scored both of his team’s goals, settled the score for the Alicante team (3-2).
Gramenet knocked out Barça at the second attempt
This year, the team managed by Hansi Flick will make its debut in the competition facing the same team as last season, Barbastro. It will be the second time in history, and consecutively, that these two clubs meet. However, the draw already paired the Catalan team with a lower-category rival twice in a row in 2003 and 2004. The first year, it dodged the bullet, but could not do the same in the second.
UDA Gramenet was the last club to eliminate FC Barcelona in the initial round of the Copa del Rey. After the two cataclysms against Figueres and Novelda, the team led by Frank Rijkaard broke the streak (0-1) in 2003. However, against the same rival, led by Julià Garcia, it was eliminated in 2004 (1-0), with players such as Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta or Messi, among others, on the field.
Barça will compete this Saturday for the first time in 2025, against UD Barbastro, at 7:00 p.m. They have the opportunity to break the bad streak in which they ended in 2024. In addition, they would add a new edition without falling in the initial round of the national championship and there would already be 21. With the hangover from the cases of Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor, the Catalan team will try not to suffer the same as against UDA Gramenet and advance to the next round.
