FC Barcelona has taken part in the Guadalajara International Book Fair (FIL) in an event filled with emotion and historical significance. This year, Barcelona is the Guest City of Honour at the 39th edition of the FIL, the most important literary fair in the Spanish-speaking world, held from 29 November to 7 December. As the guest city, Barcelona is showcasing a multidisciplinary programme that goes beyond literature and includes visual arts, gastronomy, music and other cultural expressions—an exceptional setting that amplifies the city’s talent and cultural identity internationally.

In this context, and under the title “How Mexico Saved Barça”, the Club’s institutional vice president Elena Fort announced that FC Barcelona is working on an official tribute to Mexico, potentially in the form of a sculpture or permanent artistic installation at the Spotify Camp Nou, as a public recognition of a country that played a decisive role in the Club’s survival during the Spanish Civil War.

“We want to offer Mexico a public tribute. The Mexican people saved Barça,” Fort declared to a full audience during the presentation of the book 1937: El Barça en México by journalist and writer Frederic Porta.

A defining episode in what it means to be “More than a Club”

The event revisited one of the most pivotal moments in FC Barcelona’s history. In 1937, as the Civil War was escalating and the Club faced an imminent risk of disappearing—burdened with a deficit of 170,000 pesetas, assets confiscated and under the punitive scrutiny of the Francoist regime—the Mexican government led by Lázaro Cárdenas intervened to help Barça survive.

Through the Mexican consul Alejandro Gómez Maganda, Cárdenas organised and supported a Barça tour in Mexico, featuring ten matches across the country and four additional games in the United States. The operation, coordinated by Catalan businessman Manuel Mas Serrano, proved crucial:
the Club earned 15,000 net dollars, equivalent to 500,000 pesetas, a decisive amount that ensured its continuity.

This episode remains a symbol of the historic bond between Barça and Catalan identity: a Club that, since the early 20th century, had aligned itself with the cultural and civic vanguard of Catalonia, found in Mexico an international ally who understood—and chose to protect—that identity.

A bond that endures

Fort emphasised that this gesture not only saved the Club but also forged an emotional and cultural relationship that endures more than 80 years later. Some players even stayed to live in Mexico, such as goalkeeper Pepe Iborra, who later opened a travel agency in Puebla.

“Barça conveys values, emotions and Catalan identity. Being here today in Mexico, sharing this story, is an honour for the Club,” Fort stated.

Barça as guest of honour in a space of memory and culture

FC Barcelona’s participation as part of Barcelona’s Guest City of Honour programme has made it possible to share this crucial chapter of history with an international audience, emphasising that the Club’s story cannot be understood without the solidarity of Mexico.

The event was also a tribute to Frederic Porta’s book, which rigorously documents how Mexico became a refuge and lifeline for many Catalans and for FC Barcelona during those difficult years.

A tribute in progress

The Club is already working with Mexican authorities to define the format of the tribute. The idea of a sculpture or artistic piece at the Spotify Camp Nou aims to turn this historical gratitude into a permanent, visible symbol for future generations of Barça supporters.

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