The Catalan born coach led Barça to the 100 points campaign in the league in 2012/13
Since Tito Vilanova died on that date in 2014 at the age of 45, April 25 will always be a memorable day in FC Barcelona’s calendar. The blaugrana family is left with a void after the man from Catalonia’s Empordà region was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and tragically passed away less than three years later.
In April 2024, a significant character in FC Barcelona’s recent history will have passed away for the tenth time. Tito Vilanova’s name endures at the club, since the primary training field of the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper bears his name. In addition to his job as assistant coach at Barça during the Pep Guardiola years, his claim of the league title in 2012–13, when he reached 100 points, is regarded as a unique but challenging experience.
An important player of the greatest Barcelona team ever
Vilanova made it through La Masia as a player and was able to play for the first squad in two 1989 friendly. But he established his mark as a coach. He began his management career with FC Barcelona in 2001–02, leading the team’s U16B group, which included Leo Messi, Cesc Fàbregas, and Gerard Piqué, among others. After that, he managed Palafrugell, Figueres, and Terrassa before returning to the Club to serve as Josep Guardiola’s assistant at Barça Atletico for the 2007–08 campaign.
Before taking over the first for the 2008–09 season, the two coaches unintentionally created the groundwork for the greatest Barça team in history. They went on to win 14 titles in four seasons and play a style of football that was praised all over the world.
Barça’s 100-point
Tito Vilanova was selected as Guardiola’s replacement after he declared in April 2012 that he would depart the Club at the end of the current campaign. His team set a new league record with 100 points during Barça’s 2012–13 La Liga campaign, and they dominated the top spot from the first week of play until the end. The statistics speak for themselves: Barça captured 100 of 114 points, scored 115 goals in 38 straight games, won 32 games, drew 4, and lost just two games. Their dominance was simply undeniable. Additionally, the team advanced to the Copa del Rey and Champions League semifinals.
In spite of everything, personally, it was a difficult season. After receiving a cancer diagnosis in November 2011, Tito Vilanova was unable to continue coaching until early April 2013, when he returned for a Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain. In his absence, Jordi Roura led the first team during a trying emotional period for everyone. Défensive player Éric Abidal also had liver cancer during this time, and he returned from the disease four days after Tito Vilanova after missing more than a year of action.
The documentary ‘100×100 Tito’ from Barça Studios commemorates the season, when a team came together after receiving a devastating piece of news that had never been seen before. In addition to contributions from his family, the show honours Tito Vilanova and includes players and coaching staff from that campaign.
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