Joan Gamper

Joan Gamper was a Swiss-born footballer and sports organizer who became one of the founding figures of Spanish football. Born in Winterthur, Switzerland in 1877, he was a versatile athlete who competed in football, rugby union, tennis, golf, cycling and athletics before settling in Barcelona. In 1899 he founded Futbol Club Barcelona and served as its first captain from 1899 to 1903, scoring more than 100 goals in fewer than 50 matches for the club. He went on to serve as Barcelona president in five separate terms between 1908 and 1925, during which the club secured its first dedicated stadium, Camp de la Industria, in 1909, and won eleven Catalan championships, six Copa del Rey titles and four Pyrenees Cups. Before Barcelona, Gamper had also co-founded FC Zurich in his native Switzerland and served as its first captain. He died in Barcelona in 1930. Gamper is regarded as the central figure in the amateur founding era of FC Barcelona, and the club's home stadium bears his name in tribute.