A few Barcelona goalkeeper stars in history were, as a matter of fact, signed from their crosstown rival, Espanyol.
Barcelona and Espanyol have been all over the news, almost throughout the entire summer transfer window. It is mainly due to the Catalan giant’s decision to sign Joan Garcia, Espanyol’s top-talent shot stopper, as their prospective number one Barcelona goalkeeper.
Such was undoubtedly quite a surprise considering they still have the club captain, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, in the team, plus the senior figure, Poland’s Wojciech Szczęsny, who has reached an agreement for contract renewal.
Additionally, they have their own La Masia product, Inaki Pena, whose future is expected to be elsewhere rather than at Camp Nou.
Blaugrana eventually signed the deal for Garcia, who was tipped as La Liga’s best goalkeeper statistically last season. He was not awarded the Ricardo Zamora trophy, as his number of clean sheets is less than the award recipient, Jan Oblak.
Joan Garcia agreed to switch sides for €25 million with a six-year contract, despite his initial stance to move to the Catalan giant.
It remains to be seen if the 24-year-old goalie will eventually take Ter Stegen’s place, especially following his recent back injury. The club captain could be sidelined for up to three or four months.
Not to mention the fact that he has fallen out of favour under Hansi Flick.
The gaffer does not guarantee him as the number one any longer due to his unprofessional attitude last season ahead of the second leg of the UCL semifinal against Inter Milan.
Joan Garcia is definitely not the first shot stopper moving across the town for a bigger stage with Blaugrana. In fact, the Catalan giant has poached seven names from their local rivals throughout history.
Yet, only a few of them managed to cement their place as Barcelona goalkeeper stars.
Garcia could be the next one, should he prove his worth, become the mainstay, and stay on top form consistently. Here are the only two names deserved as the top Barcelona goalkeepers.
Top Barcelona Goalkeeper Figures Signed From Espanyol
Ricardo Zamora (1919-1922)
Ricardo Zamora was a distinguished goalkeeper of his time and a legend in Spanish football. Zamora’s name has even been adapted for the best goalkeeper award in the Spanish top division. He was well known during his spell at Barcelona and Real Madrid.
However, very few were not aware that he began his career with RCD Espanyol before moving to their local rival.
Zamora started off his career in 1916 before switching sides to Camp Nou three years later. He was not able to win a single trophy for Pericos in his first stint, except one Catalan championship in 1918.
During his stint in Barcelona, he contributed to their Copa del Rey glory in 1920 and 1922, plus three Catalan championship titles.
One of his memorable performances was in the 1920 Spanish Cup final when he managed to keep a clean sheet in a 2-0 victory over Athletic Bilbao with their legendary striker, Rafael Moreno, widely known as Pichichi.
Zamora surprisingly opted to return to his former side after his higher salary demand was not approved by the Barcelona board.
Such a dispute with the club management led him to move back to his boyhood club and even reunite with his former boss in Blaugrana, Jack Greenwell, in 1928. Both worked together to deliver Espanyol’s first Copa del Rey title in the following year.
Interestingly, he was never awarded the best La Liga shot stopper as a Barcelona goalkeeper.
The award itself was first introduced in 1929, when he was already in his second stint with Espanyol. Zamora did win the first edition, plus two more consecutively during his stay in Real Madrid back in 1932 and 1933.
In international football, he represented Spain in two major competitions, the 1920 Olympic Games and the 1934 FIFA World Cup. Overall, he was capped 46 times with La Furia Roja.
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Javier Urruticoechea (1981-1988)
Javier Urruticoechea was the Barcelona goalkeeper in the early to mid-1980s. Urruti was instrumental when Barcelona won their first La Liga title in 1985, which ended their league title drought of almost a decade.
He also contributed heavily when the Catalan giant reached the European Cup final in 1986, plus clinched the Winners’ Cup in 1982 and the Copa del Rey in 1983.
He had the luxury of working under top managers like Udo Lattek, Cesar Luiz Menotti, Terry Venables, and Luis Aragones.
Urruti made 183 appearances with 73 clean sheets with Blaugrana. He also helped them snatch the Copa de la Liga 1983 and 1986, the Spanish Super Cup 1983, and the Copa del Rey 1988.
The shot stopper with only five international caps was even awarded Best La Liga goalkeeper in 1984, too.
Sadly, he was sidelined more often following the arrival of Andoni Zubizarretta in the summer of 1986.
The goalie who began his career with Real Sociedad found his opportunity to play regularly with Espanyol. He moved there after losing the number one spot to Luis Arconada on the San Sebastian side.
He spent four years with Pericos and managed to win the Don Balon award in 1981 as the best Spanish player of the season. Sadly, they went trophyless, and their best finish in the league was only in eighth place in 1979.
Overall, Urruti got a nod in 121 games with 35 clean sheets.
Unlike Zamora, Urruti did not get a chance to be the number one between the sticks on the international stage. His Basque counterparts, Luis Arconada and Andoni Zubizaretta, were standing in his way.
Despite being named in the squad for four major tournaments – three FIFA World Cups (1978, 1982, and 1986) plus Euro 1980 – this former Barcelona goalkeeper only earned five international appearances.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT
Recording Date: 27.07.2025