Four years without Tito Vilanova

This Wednesay was  the fourth anniversary of the passing of Tito Vilanova. He left us on April 25 2014 after succumbing to throat cancer, which he had been fighting for two years and five months.

Barcelona fans have not forgotten a person who left his footprint at the club not just for his footballing know how and knowledge, but for his values as a person.

Tito Vilanova left as the coach who won the league with Barça by winning 100 points. No-one at the Catalan club had done it before and no-one has done it since. But beyond the results, his legacy lives on in the youth academy. Indeed, the Barça first team carry out their training sessions on the Tito Vilanova pitch at the club's training ground at Sant Joan Despi.

Tito Vilanova grew up in La Masia and cristalised the dream of so many Barcelona fans by fielding a team entirely of academy graduates in a Liga game against Levante in 2012.

After a long career as a player with Barça's academy, Figueres, Celta, Badajoz, Mallorca, Lleida, Elche and Gramenet, Tito began coaching in Barça's youth teams, where he worked with the likes of Messi, Pique and Cesc, who he would later go on to coach in the first team.

He left the club but then returned to join Pep Guardiola in 2007 and coach the B team, who they took up from Tercera Division to Segunda Division B.

Alongside Guardiola he carved out the most successful era in the club's history, winning a historic  six trophies in 2009. When Guardiola left in 2012, he took the reins of the first team.

Barcelona paid tribute to him on their official Twitter account with the following message:

"Four years without Tito Vilanova. Your legacy will live on forever"

Cuatro años sin Tito Vilanova. Tu legado perdurará por siempre. #TitoEtern pic.twitter.com/4Pfgv3F3rm

— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_es) 25 de abril de 2018