In 1891, Newmilns lace manufacturers, Johnstone Shields & Co, opened a factory in Gothenburg, using Newmilns employees to set up and run the site.
Whilst in Gothenburg, the employees established a team, Örgryte Idrottsällskap and won Sweden's first ever football match. The employees went on to form another team, which eventually evolved into the world-renowned, IFK Göteborg.
Two years later, Johnstone Shields set up a factory in Barcelona and again utilised their Newmilns workforce.
The men from Newmilns set up another football team, Colonia Escocesa, which according to local historians, contested the first ever Spanish cup final. This is slightly ambiguous, the first Copa del Rey final was contested between Club Vizcaya (later Athletic Club de Bilbao) and FC Barcelona. Records do show however that in 1900, Colonia Escocesa lost 2-0 to FC Barcelona, in a match recorded as Amistoso Internacional (Catalan for International Friendly). Whilst seemingly not part of an official tournament, it is quite possible that the participating players viewed the match as an international cup final, explaining why oral tradition remembers it as such.
(Source: Wikipedia)
My grandfather worked for Johnstone Shields in Gothenburg and then moved to their Scottish operation in Newmilns, where he remained for the rest of his life.
I just wonder if he was offered the chance to join the Spanish operation. If he had, I would have been Spanish, and maybe even watching from the Barcelona seats at Wembley in their rout of Manchester United!
Not possible - my Spanish is lousy.