ESTADI DE SARRIA

Barcelona, Spain

Estadi de Sarrià was a football stadium in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The stadium was the home of RCD Espanyol from 1923 to 1997. The stadium was located in the Barcelona district of Sarrià and has become a legendary place for the Catalan club.

The stadium was named after the road in which it was constructed, which linked the ancient cities Barcelona and Sarria. Construction began on December 31, 1922 under the supervision of architect Matías Colmenares, and the cost was 170,000 pesetas. The initial forecast capacity was for 40,000 spectators, but due to the bankruptcy of the construction company the initial capacity was only for 10,000 spectators.

The most memorable moments in the history of the Sarria stadium were when it hosted the 1982 FIFA World Cup. The stadium held the three matches of Group C in the second round, with three of the favourites for the cup playing in this group: Argentina (Diego Maradona, Mario Kempes, Daniel Passarella), Brazil (Zico, Socrates, Falcao, Eder) and eventual champions Italy (Dino Zoff, Claudio Gentile, Marco Tardelli, Paolo Rossi). The key game was the third in which Italy defeated Brazil 3-2, in a match widely regarded as one of the best ever played at a World Cup.

Unfortunately, the club's financial problems forced the company to sell the stadium to property developers. The last game played in Sarrià was against Valencia on June 21, 1997. Espanyol won 3-2 and the last goal was scored by Jose Cobos. The club then played at the Montjuic Olympic Stadium until 2009, when it moved to the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.

Unused 4" x 6" continental size chrome postcard.

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