Terry Venables, who has died aged 80, was Barcelona manager between 1984-87. Spanish football expert Guillem Balague talks about the lasting impression he made in Spain.
Terry Venables’ impact as manager of Barcelona can not be underestimated, both as a trailblazer on the field and a personality off it.
When he arrived at the club in June 1984, everyone in Spain was asking ‘Terry who?’ but by the time he left three years later, he had left a lasting impression that will never be forgotten.
Venables took over from the Argentine Cesar Luis Menotti after he had been manager at QPR for four years, but no-one was talking about English football in Spain at the time.
It must be remembered this was not a Barcelona who were winning titles all the time – in fact, they hadn’t won La Liga since 1974 – so Terry was arriving with a big job on his hands.
When he left three years later for Tottenham, Barcelona had won the league title, won the Copa de Liga and reached the European Cup final – albeit ending in a disappointing and surprise defeat by Steaua Bucharest.