30 August 1994 - Zaragoza Got Close, But Barça Got The Cigar

On 30 August 1994, Barcelona won their fourth Supercopa de España, beating Real Zaragoza 6-5 over two legs. 

Barça won the first leg at Zaragoza by the comfortable margin of 0-2. The second leg, though, was a much tighter affair. Playing before a crowd of 70,000 at Camp Nou, Zaragoza took an early lead with a 10th-minute goal from defender Alberto Belsué, who blasted the ball right over Barcelona keeper Carles Busquets (father of current Barcelona player Sergio Busquets). Neither keeper looked very impressive, as Zaragoza's Andoni Cedrún misplayed a ball three minutes later to concede a goal from Barcelona winger Txiki Begiristain. 

Things got worse for Busquets as Zaragoza evened the aggregate score at 3-3 before the break with goals from striker Juan Esnáider (32') and Francisco Higuera (33'). But Barcelona pulled ahead in the second half with a brace from striker Hristo Stoichkov (pictured) (50', 69'). 

Higuera scored again in the 77th minute after Busquets misplayed another ball and left him with an open goal, but Cedrún committed a similar error at the other end, allowig Txiki an uncontested strike in the 87th minute. Higuera completed his hat-trick two minutes later to win the second leg 4-5, but it was small consolation as Barça took the trophy. 

It was the eleventh trophy for Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff, a record haul that was surpassed only recently by Pep Guardiola, who appeared as a substitute in that match. Guardiola's twelfth trophy came in August 2011 when Barça beat Porto in the UEFA Super Cup.

8 February 1966 - He Should've Limited The Striking To The Ball

On 8 February 1966, European Footballer of the Year and World Cup Golden Boot winner Hristo Stoichkov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

A winger/forward, he first rose to international prominence with CSKA Sofia, where his 38 goals in the 1989-90 season made him Europe's highest goalscorer. But he also created a reputation as a loose cannon, receiving a brief suspension from football for his involvement in a fight during the 1985 Bulgarian Cup.

In 1990, he moved to Barcelona. He soon became a fan favorite as Barça enjoyed one of their most successful periods, winning five La Liga titles (including four straight from 1991-94) and the 1992 European Cup. Guiding Bulgaria to the third-place playoff match at the 1994 World Cup, he contributed six goals to finish as the tournament's joint top scorer. He won the Ballon d'Or that year as Europe's greatest player.

But his hot temper followed him to Barcelona and, in his first season there, he received another brief suspension for stamping on a referee's foot. He eventually left Barça in 1995 and started a wandering journey that included stays with Parma (1995-96), Barcelona again (1996-98), CSKA Sofia again (1998), Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr (1998), and J-League side Kashiwa Reysol (1998-99).

In 2000, he moved to the United States to play two season with the Chicago Fire and one, his last, with DC United. During that last season, he again stirred up controversy by breaking the leg of a player from American University during a scrimmage with DC United, receiving a suspension and $2,000 fine.

30 August 1994 - Zaragoza Got Close, But Barça Got The Cigar

On 30 August 1994, Barcelona won their fourth Supercopa de España, beating Real Zaragoza 6-5 over two legs.

Barça won the first leg at Zaragoza by the comfortable margin of 0-2. The second leg, though, was a much tighter affair. Playing before a crowd of 70,000 at Camp Nou, Zaragoza took an early lead with a 10th-minute goal from defender Alberto Belsué, who blasted the ball right over Barcelona keeper Carles Busquets (father of current Barcelona player Sergio Busquets). Neither keeper looked very impressive, as Zaragoza's Andoni Cedrún misplayed a ball three minutes later to concede a goal from Barcelona winger Txiki Begiristain.

Things got worse for Busquets as Zaragoza evened the aggregate score at 3-3 before the break with goals from striker Juan Esnáider (32') and Francisco Higuera (33'). But Barcelona pulled ahead in the second half with a brace from striker Hristo Stoichkov (pictured) (50', 69').

Higuera scored again in the 77th minute after Busquets misplayed another ball and left him with an open goal, but Cedrún committed a similar error at the other end, allowig Txiki an uncontested strike in the 87th minute. Higuera completed his hat-trick two minutes later to win the second leg 4-5, but it was small consolation as Barça took the trophy.

It was the eleventh trophy for Barcelona manager Johan Cruyff, a record haul that was surpassed only recently by Pep Guardiola, who appeared as a substitute in that match. Guardiola's twelfth trophy came in August 2011 when Barça beat Porto in the UEFA Super Cup.

8 February 1966 - He Should've Limited The Striking To The Ball

On 8 February 1966, future European Footballer of the Year and World Cup Golden Boot winner Hristo Stoichkov was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

A winger/forward, he first rose to international prominence with CSKA Sofia, where his 38 goals in the 1989-90 season made him Europe's highest goalscorer. But he also created a reputation as a loose cannon, receiving a brief suspension from football for his involvement in a fight during the 1985 Bulgarian Cup.

In 1990, he moved to Barcelona. He soon became a fan favorite as Barça enjoyed one of their most successful periods, winning five La Liga titles (including four straight from 1991-94) and the 1992 European Cup. Guiding Bulgaria to the third-place playoff match at the 1994 World Cup, he contributed six goals to finish as the tournament's joint top scorer. He won the Ballon d'Or that year as Europe's greatest player.

But his hot temper followed him to Barcelona and, in his first season there, he received another brief suspension for stamping on a referee's foot. He eventually left Barça in 1995 and started a wandering journey that included stays with Parma (1995-96), Barcelona again (1996-98), CSKA Sofia again (1998), Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr (1998), and J-League side Kashiwa Reysol (1998-99).

In 2000, he moved to the United States to play two season with the Chicago Fire and one, his last, with DC United. During that last season, he again stirred up controversy by breaking the leg of a player from American University during a scrimmage with DC United, receiving a suspension and $2,000 fine.