FC BARCELONA

FC Barcelona or Futbol Club Barcelona commonly referred to as Barcelona and simply as Barca, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona competes in La Liga. It is the top flight of Spanish football.

History

The club was founded in 1899. A group of Swiss, Spanish, German, and English footballers founded the club. They were led by Joan Gamper. FCB has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism. Hence, the motto of the club is ‘Mes Que un club’. It means ‘More than a club‘. Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona.

The official Barcelona anthem is the ‘Cant del Barca’. The song was written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinas. Barcelona traditionally plays in dark shades of blue and red stripes. Hence, they are nicknamed the Blaugrana.

Moreover, the club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid. The matches played between the two teams are referred to as El Classico.

Finance

It is the fourth-most valuable sports team in the world. FCB is worth $4.76 billion. It is the richest football club in terms of revenue in the world. Meanwhile, they have an annual turnover of €715.1 million.

Trophies

Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 75 trophies. They have won 26 La Liga, 31 Copa del Rey and 13 Supercopa de Espana. Barca has also won three Copa Eva Duarte and two Copa de la Liga titles. Moreover, they were the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, the club has won twenty European and worldwide titles. This includes five UEFA Champions League titles, a record of four UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups, and a joint record of five UEFA Super Cups. They also hold a record of three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, and three FIFA Club World Cups. Barcelona was ranked first in the IIFHS World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2015. Barcelona occupies the seventh position on the UEFA club rankings as of 2021.

Notable Players

Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world. Meanwhile, the club has one of the largest social media following in the world among sports teams. Barcelona players have won a record twelve Ballon d’Or awards. The recipients included Luis Suarez Miramontes, Johan Cruyff, Hristo Stoichkov, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho, and Lionel Messi. They also have a record seven FIFA World Player of the Year awards. The winners include Romario, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, and Ronaldinho. In 2010,  Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi were chosen as the three best players in the world in the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards. These three players came through the club’s youth academy. This was an unprecedented feat for players from the same football academy. Additionally, players representing the club have won a record eight European Golden Shoe awards.

Achievements

Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera Division that have never been relegated from the top division since its foundation in 1929. This list also includes the likes of Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. In 2009, Barcelona became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble. They won the La Liga, Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League in the same year. They also became the first Spanish football club to win six out of six competitions in a single year.

Barca also won the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup. In 2011, the club became European champions again, winning five trophies. This Barcelona team won fourteen trophies in just four years under Pep Guardiola. Meanwhile, this team is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest team of all time. By winning their fifth Champions League trophy in 2015, Barcelona became the first European football club in history to achieve the continental treble twice.