Barcelona's run to the Champions League final in May 2009 triggered a surge in local births, but rather less than commonly believed, researchers said on Tuesday.
According to Yahoo Sports, some media have said the birth rate in Catalonia rose by an astonishing 45 percent nine months after a dramatic semi-final in which Andres Iniesta scored an injury-time winner against Chelsea.
The victory put Barca into the final of Europe's top club trophy, when they crushed holders Manchester United three weeks later, the report said.
In an offbeat paper published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), health statisticians in Barcelona explored whether the tale of the 'Iniesta generation' was true or hype, the report added.
They looked at births registered in the central Catalan counties of Solsones and Bages in February and March 2010, the report further said.
