Futbol Club Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation: [fubb kub brson] ( listen)), commonly

known as Barcelona and familiarly as Bara,[note 1] is a professional football club based

in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the
club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Ms que un
club" (More than a club). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate
Barcelona. It is the second most valuable sports team in the world, worth $3.56 billion, and
the world's second richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of 560.8
million.[2][3] The official Barcelona anthem is the "Cant del Bara", written by Jaume Picas
and Josep Maria Espins.[4]
Domestically, Barcelona has won 24 La Liga, 28 Copa del Rey, 12 Supercopa de Espaa,
3 Copa Eva Duarte and 2 Copa de la Liga trophies, as well as being the record holder for the
latter four competitions. In international club football, Barcelona has won five UEFA Champions
League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, a shared record five UEFA Super Cup, a
record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a record three FIFA Club World Cup.[5] Barcelona was
ranked first in the IFFHS Club World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015[6][7] and
currently occupies the third position on the UEFA club rankings.[8] The club has a long-standing
rivalry with Real Madrid; matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clsico.
Barcelona is one of the most supported teams in the world, and has the largest social media
following in the world among sports teams.[9][10][11] Barcelona's players have won a record number
of Ballon d'Or awards (11), as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards
(7). In 2010, three players who came through the club's youth academy (Messi, Iniesta and Xavi)
were chosen as the three best players in the world in the FIFA Ballon d'Or awards, an
unprecedented feat for players from the same football school.
Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera Divisin that have never been
relegated from the top division, along with Athletic Bilbao and Real Madrid. In 2009, Barcelona
became the first Spanish club to win the continental treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey,
and the UEFA Champions League, and also became the first football club to win six out of six
competitions in a single year, completing the sextuple in also winning the Spanish Super
Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.[12] In 2011, the club became European
champions again and won five trophies. This Barcelona team, which reached a record six
consecutive Champions League semi-finals and won 14 trophies in just four years under Pep
Guardiola, is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest team of all time.[13][14][15] By winning
their fifth Champions League trophy on 6 June 2015, Barcelona became the first European club
in history to achieve the continental treble twice.

Contents
[hide]

1History

o 1.1Beginnings of FC Barcelona (18991922)

o 1.2Rivera, Republic and Civil War (19231957)

o 1.3Club de Ftbol Barcelona (19571978)

o 1.4Nez and the stabilisation years (19782000)

1.4.1Dream Team

o 1.5Exit Nez, enter Laporta (20002008)

 o 1.6Guardiola era (20082012)

o 1.7Recent history (2012)

2Support

3Club rivalries

o 3.1El Clsico

o 3.2El derbi Barcelon

o 3.3Rivalry with A.C. Milan

4Ownership and finances

5Records

6Crest and colours

o 6.1Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

7Stadia

8Honours

o 8.1Domestic competitions

o 8.2European competitions

o 8.3Worldwide competitions

9Players

o 9.1Current squad

o 9.2Out on loan

10Personnel

o 10.1Current technical staff

11Management

o 11.1Board members

12See also

13Notes

14References
 15Further reading

16Filmography

17External links

History
Main article: History of FC Barcelona

Beginnings of FC Barcelona (18991922)

Walter Wild, the club's first president (18991901). His main achievement was getting Bara its first home
ground[16]

Gamper's advertisement in Los Deportes ---- English translation : "SPORT NOTE. Our friend and partner,
Mr. Kans Kamper, from the Foot-Vall Section of the 'Sociedad Los Deportes' and former Swiss champion,
wishing to organise some matches in Barcelona, requests that everyone who likes this sport contact him,
come to this office Tuesday and Friday nights from 9 to 11."[17]

On 22 October 1899, Hans Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish
to form a football club; a positive response resulted in a meeting at the Gimnasio Sol on 29
November. Eleven players attended Walter Wild (the first director of the club), Llus
d'Oss, Bartomeu Terradas, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol,
Josep Llobet, John Parsons, and William Parsons and Foot-Ball Club Barcelona was born. [17]
A formation of FC Barcelona in 1903

FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat
de Catalunya and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya, and
participated in the first Copa del Rey, losing 12 to Bizcaya in the final.[18] In 1908, Hans Gamper
now known as Joan Gamper became club president in a desperate attempt to save
Barcelona from extinction, finding the club struggling not just on the pitch, but also financially and
socially, after not winning a competition since the Campionat de Catalunya in 1905. He said in a
meeting: "Barcelona cannot die and must not die. If there is nobody who is going to try, then I will
assume the responsibility of running the club from now on." [19] Club president on five separate
occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 years in total at the helm. One of his main
achievements was ensuring Bara acquire its own stadium and thus generate a stable income. [20]
On 14 March 1909 the team moved into the Camp de la Indstria, a stadium with a capacity of
8,000. To celebrate their new surroundings, the club conducted a logo contest the following
year. Carles Comamala won the contest, and his suggestion became the crest that the club still
wears with some minor changes as of the present day.[21]
With the new stadium, Barcelona participated in the inaugural version of the Pyrenees Cup,
which, at the time, consisted of the best teams of Languedoc, Midi and Aquitaine (Southern
France), the Basque Country and Catalonia; all were former members of the Marca
Hispanica region. The contest was the most prestigious in that era. [22] From the inaugural year in
1910 to 1913, Barcelona won the competition four consecutive times. Carles Comamala played
an integral part of the four-time champion, managing the side along with Amechazurra and Jack
Greenwell. The latter became the club's first full-time coach in 1917.[23] The last edition was held
in 1914 in the city of Barcelona, which local rivals Espanyol won.[24]
During the same period, the club changed its official language from Castilian to Catalan and
gradually evolved into an important symbol of Catalan identity. For many fans, participating in the
club had less to do with the game itself and more with being a part of the club's collective identity.
[25]
On 4 February 1917, the club held its first testimonial match to honour Ramn Torralba, who
played from 1913 to 1928. The match was against local side Terrassa: Barcelona won 62. [26]
Gamper simultaneously launched a campaign to recruit more club members, and by 1922, the
club had more than 20,000, who helped finance a new stadium. The club then moved to the
new Les Cortes, which they inaugurated the same year.[27] Les Cortes had an initial capacity of
30,000, and in the 1940s it was expanded to 60,000. [28]
Gamper recruited Jack Greenwell as the first full-time manager in Barcelona's history. After this
hiring, the club's fortunes began to improve on the field. During the Gamper-led era, Barcelona
won eleven Campionats de Catalunya, six Copa del Rey and four Pyrenees Cups and enjoyed
its first "golden age".[18][20]

Rivera, Republic and Civil War (19231957)

The aerial bombardment of Barcelona in 1938

On 14 June 1925, in a spontaneous reaction against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the crowd in
the stadium jeered the Royal March. As a reprisal, the ground was closed for six months and
Gamper was forced to relinquish the presidency of the club. [29] This coincided with the transition to
professional football, and, in 1926, the directors of Barcelona publicly claimed, for the first time,
to operate a professional football club.[27] On 3 July 1927, the club held a second testimonial
match for Paulino Alcntara, against the Spanish national team. To kick off the match, local
journalist and pilot Josep Canudas dropped the ball onto the pitch from his aeroplane. [26] In 1928,
victory in the Spanish Cup was celebrated with a poem titled "Oda a Platko", which was written
by a member of the Generation of '27, Rafael Alberti, inspired by the heroic performance of the
Barcelona goalkeeper, Franz Platko.[30] On 23 June 1929, Barcelona won the inaugural Spanish
League. A year after winning the championship, on 30 July 1930, Gamper committed suicide
after a period of depression brought on by personal and financial problems. [20]
Although they continued to have players of the standing of Josep Escol, the club now entered a
period of decline, in which political conflict overshadowed sports throughout society. Attendance
at matches dropped as the citizens of Barcelona were occupied with discussing political matters.
[31]
Although the team won the Campionat de Catalunya in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936 and
1938,[18] success at a national level (with the exception of the 1937 disputed title) evaded them.
A month after the Spanish Civil War began in 1936, several players from Barcelona enlisted in
the ranks of those who fought against the military uprising, along with players from Athletic
Bilbao.[32] On 6 August, Falangist soldiers near Guadarrama murdered club president Josep
Sunyol, a representative of the pro-independence political party.[33] He was dubbed the martyr
of barcelonisme, and his murder was a defining moment in the history of FC Barcelona and
Catalan identity.[34] In the summer of 1937, the squad was on tour in Mexico and the United
States, where it was received as an ambassador of the Second Spanish Republic. The tour led
to the financial security of the club, but also resulted in half of the team seeking asylum in Mexico
and France, making it harder for the remaining team to contest for trophies. [35][36]
On 16 March 1938, Barcelona came under aerial bombardment from the Italian Air Force,
causing more than 3,000 deaths, with one of the bombs hitting the club's offices. [37][38]A few
months later, Catalonia came under occupation and as a symbol of the
"undisciplined" Catalanism, the club, now down to just 3,486 members, faced a number of
restrictions. All signs of regional nationalism, including language, flag and other signs of
separatism were banned throughout Spain. The Catalan flag was banned and the club were
prohibited from using non-Spanish names. These measures forced the club to change its name
to Club de Ftbol Barcelona and to remove the Catalan flag from its crest.[39]
In 1943, Barcelona faced rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals of Copa del Generalsimo (now the
Copa del Rey). The first match at Les Corts was won by Barcelona 30. Real Madrid comfortably
won the second leg, beating Barcelona 111.[40] According to football writer Sid Lowe, "There
have been relatively few mentions of the game [since] and it is not a result that has been
particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, the 111 occupies a far more prominent place in
Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed the identification of Madrid as the team
of the dictatorship and Barcelona as its victims."[41] It has been alleged by local journalist Paco
Aguilar that Barcelona's players were threatened by police in the changing room, though nothing
was ever proven.[42]
The prolific forward, Lszl Kubala, led Barcelona to success in the 1950s. His statue is built outside the
Camp Nou.

Despite the difficult political situation, CF Barcelona enjoyed considerable success during the
1940s and 1950s. In 1945, with Josep Samitier as coach and players
like Csar, Ramallets and Velasco, they won La Liga for the first time since 1929. They added
two more titles in 1948 and 1949.[43] In 1949, they also won the first Copa Latina.[44] In June 1950,
Barcelona signed Lszl Kubala, who was to be an important figure at the club.[45]
On a rainy Sunday of 1951, the crowd left Les Corts stadium after a 21 win
against Santander by foot, refusing to catch any trams, and surprising the Francoist authorities.
The reason was simple: at the same time, a tram strike was taking place in Barcelona, receiving
the support of blaugrana fans. Events like this made CF Barcelona represent much more than
just Catalonia and many progressive Spaniards saw the club as a staunch defender
of rights and freedoms.[46][47]
Coach Ferdinand Dauk and Lszl Kubala led the team to five different trophies including La
Liga, the Copa del Generalsimo, the Copa Latina, the Copa Eva Duarte, and the Copa Martini
Rossi in 1952. In 1953, the club won La Liga and the Copa del Generalsimo again. [28]

Club de Ftbol Barcelona (19571978)

Barcelona line up against Hamburger SV before the 196061 European Cup semi-final

With Helenio Herrera as coach, a young Luis Surez, the European Footballer of the Year in
1960, and two influential Hungarians recommended by Kubala, Sndor Kocsis and Zoltn
Czibor, the team won another national double in 1959 and a La Liga and Fairs Cup double in
1960. In 1961, they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup play-off.
However, they lost 23 to Benfica in the final.[48][49]
Luis Surez, the first Barcelona player to win the Ballon d'Or

The 1960s were less successful for the club, with Real Madrid monopolising La Liga. The
completion of the Camp Nou, finished in 1957, meant the club had little money to spend on new
players.[49] The 1960s saw the emergence of Josep Maria Fust and Carles Rexach, and the club
won the Copa del Generalsimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. Barcelona restored some
pride by beating Real Madrid 10 in the 1968 Copa del Generalsimo final at the Bernabu in
front of Franco, with coach Salvador Artigas, a former republican pilot in the civil war. With the
end of Franco's dictatorship in 1974, the club changed its official name back to Futbol Club
Barcelona and reverted the crest to its original design, including the original letters once again. [50]
[51]

The 197374 season saw the arrival of Johan Cruyff, who was bought for a world record
920,000 from Ajax.[52] Already an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the
Barcelona fans when he told the European press that he chose Barcelona over Real Madrid
because he could not play for a club associated with Francisco Franco. He further endeared
himself when he named his son Jordi, after the local Catalan Saint George.[53] Next to champions
like Juan Manuel Asensi, Carles Rexach and Hugo Sotil, he helped the club win the 197374
season for the first time since 1960,[18] defeating Real Madrid 50 at the Santiago Bernabu along
the way. He was crowned European Footballer of the Year in 1973 during his first season with
Barcelona (his second Ballon d'Or win; he won his first while playing for Ajax in 1971). Cruyff
received this prestigious award a third time (the first player to do so) in 1974, while he was still
with Barcelona.[54]

Nez and the stabilisation years (19782000)

In 1979, Barcelona bought La Masia, a farmer's house built in 1702, to be a residence for young academy
players. It would later play a significant role in the club's future success. [55][56]

In 1978, Josep Llus Nez became the first elected president of FC Barcelona, and, since then,
the members of Barcelona have elected the club president. The process of electing a president
of FC Barcelona was closely tied to Spain's transition to democracy in 1974 and the end of
Franco's dictatorship. The new president's main objective was to develop Barcelona into a world-
class club by giving it stability both on and off the pitch. His presidency was to last for 22 years,
and it deeply affected the image of Barcelona, as Nez held to a strict policy regarding wages
and discipline, letting go of such players as Maradona, Romrio and Ronaldo rather than
meeting their demands.[57][58]
On 16 May 1979, the club won its first Cup Winners Cup by beating Fortuna Dsseldorf 43
in Basel in a final watched by more than 30,000 travelling blaugrana fans. The same year, Nez
began to invest in the club's youth programme by converting La Masia to a dormitory for young
academy players from abroad. The name of the dormitory would later become synonymous with
the youth programme of Barcelona.[59]
In June 1982, Diego Maradona was signed for a world record fee of 5 million from Boca Juniors.
[60]
In the following season, under coach Menotti, Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, beating Real
Madrid. However, Maradona's time with Barcelona was short-lived and he soon left for Napoli. At
the start of the 198485 season, Terry Venables was hired as manager and he won La Liga with
noteworthy displays by German midfielder Bernd Schuster. The next season, he took the team to
their second European Cup final, only to lose on penalties to Steaua Bucureti during a dramatic
evening in Seville.[57]
Around this time, tensions began to arise between what was perceived as president Nez's
dictatorial rule and the nationalistic support group, Boixos Nois. The group, identified with a left-
wing separatism, repeatedly demanded the resignation of Nez and openly defied him through
chants and banners at matches. At the same time, Barcelona experienced an eruption
in skinheads, who often identified with a right-wing separatism. The skinheads slowly transferred
the Boixos Nois' ideology from liberalism to fascism, which caused division within the group and
a sudden support for Nez's presidency.[61] Inspired by British hooligans, the remaining Boixos
Nois became violent, causing havoc leading to large-scale arrests.[62]
After the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona signed the English top-scorer Gary Lineker, along with
goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta, but the team could not achieve success, as Schuster was
excluded from the team. Terry Venables was subsequently fired at the beginning of the 198788
season and replaced with Luis Aragons. The season finished with the players rebelling against
president Nez, in an event known as the Hesperia mutiny, and a 10 victory at the Copa del
Rey final against Real Sociedad.[57]
Dream Team

As coach of the Dream Team, Johan Cruyff won four consecutive league titles with Barcelona

In 1988, Johan Cruyff returned to the club as manager and he assembled the so-called Dream
Team.[63] He used a mix of Spanish players like Pep Guardiola, Jos Mari Bakero and Txiki
Begiristain while signing international players such as Ronald Koeman, Michael
Laudrup, Romrio and Hristo Stoichkov.[64]
 Zubizarreta (C)

Koeman

Nando

Ferrer

Juan Carlos

Eusebio

Guardiola

Bakero

Laudrup

Salinas

Stoichkov
1992 European Cup Final starting lineup

It was ten years after the inception of the youth programme, La Masia, when the young players
began to graduate and play for their first team. One of the first graduates, who would later earn
international acclaim, was previous Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola.[65] Under Cruyff's guidance,
Barcelona won four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994. They beat Sampdoria in both
the 1989 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and the 1992 European Cup final at Wembley, with a free
kick goal from Dutch international Ronald Koeman. They also won a Copa del Rey in 1990,
the European Super Cup in 1992 and three Supercopa de Espaa trophies. With 11 trophies,
Cruyff became the club's most successful manager at that point. He also became the club's
longest consecutive serving manager, serving eight years.[66]Cruyff's fortune was to change, and,
in his final two seasons, he failed to win any trophies and fell out with president Nez, resulting
in his departure.[57] On the legacy of Cruyff's football philosophy and the passing style of play he
introduced to the club, future coach of Barcelona Pep Guardiola would state, "Cruyff built the
cathedral, our job is to maintain and renovate it."[67]
Reacting to Cruyff's departure, an independent protest group was organised by Armand
Caraben, Joan Laporta and Alfons Godall.[68] The objective of the group, called L'Elefant Blau,
was to oppose the presidency of Nez, which they regarded as a corruption of the club's
traditional values.[68][69] Laporta would later take over the presidency of Barcelona in 2003.[70]
Cruyff was briefly replaced by Bobby Robson, who took charge of the club for a single season in
199697. He recruited Ronaldo from his previous club, PSV and delivered a cup treble, winning
the Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the Supercopa de Espaa. Despite his success,
Robson was only ever seen as a short-term solution, while the club waited for Louis van Gaal to
become available.[71]
Like Maradona, Ronaldo only stayed a short time before he left for Internazionale. However, new
heroes emerged, such as Lus Figo, Patrick Kluivert, Luis Enrique and Rivaldo, and the team
won a Copa del Rey and La Liga double in 1998. In 1999, the club celebrated its centenari,
winning the Primera Divisin title, and Rivaldo became the fourth Barcelona player to be
awarded European Footballer of the Year. Despite this domestic success, the failure to emulate
Real Madrid in the Champions League led to van Gaal and Nez resigning in 2000. [71]

Exit Nez, enter Laporta (20002008)

Plaque commemorating the centenary of FC Barcelona.

Ronaldinho's arrival in 2003 helped Barcelona "get their smile back".[72][73]

The departures of Nez and van Gaal were hardly noticed by the fans when compared to that
of Lus Figo, then club vice-captain. Figo had become a cult hero, and was considered by
Catalans to be one of their own. However, Barcelona fans were distraught by Figo's decision to
join arch-rivals Real Madrid, and, during subsequent visits to the Camp Nou, Figo was given an
extremely hostile reception. Upon his first return, a piglet's head and a full bottle of whiskey were
thrown at him from the crowd.[74] The next three years saw the club in decline, and managers
came and went. van Gaal was replaced by Lloren Serra Ferrer who, despite an extensive
investment in players in the summer of 2000, presided over a mediocre league campaign and a
humiliating first-round Champions League exit, and was eventually dismissed late in the season.
Long-serving coach Carles Rexach was appointed as his replacement, initially on a temporary
basis, and managed to at least steer the club to the last Champions League spot on the final day
of the season. Despite better form in La Liga and a good run to the semi-finals of the Champions
League, Rexach was never viewed as a long-term solution and that summer Louis van Gaal
returned to the club for a second spell as manager. What followed, despite another decent
Champions League performance, was one of the worst La Liga campaigns in the club's history,
with the team as low as 15th in February 2003. This led to van Gaal's resignation and
replacement for the rest of the campaign by Radomir Anti, though a sixth-place finish was the
best that he could manage. At the end of the season, Anti's short-term contract was not
renewed, and club president Joan Gaspart resigned, his position having been made completely
untenable by such a disastrous season on top of the club's overall decline in fortunes since he
became president three years prior.[75]

Valds

Mrquez

Puyol (C)

Oleguer

Gio

Edmlson

Giuly

Ronaldinho

Deco

van Bommel

Eto'o
2006 Champions League final starting lineup

After the disappointment of the Gaspart era, the combination of a new young president, Joan
Laporta, and a young new manager, former Dutch and Milan star Frank Rijkaard, saw the club
bounce back. On the field, an influx of international players, including Ronaldinho, Deco, Henrik
Larsson, Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto'o, and Rafael Mrquez, combined with home grown Spanish
players, such as Carles Puyol, Andrs Iniesta, Xavi and Vctor Valds, led to the club's return to
success. Barcelona won La Liga and the Supercopa de Espaa in 200405, and Ronaldinho and
Eto'o were voted first and third, respectively, in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards.[76]
In the 200506 season, Barcelona repeated their league and Supercup successes. The pinnacle
of the league season arrived at the Santiago Bernabu Stadium in a 30 win over Real Madrid. It
was Frank Rijkaard's second victory at the Bernabu, making him the first Barcelona manager to
win there twice. Ronaldinho's performance was so impressive that after his second goal, which
was Barcelona's third, some Real Madrid fans gave him a standing ovation. [77] In the Champions
League, Barcelona beat the English club Arsenal in the final. Trailing 10 to a 10-man Arsenal
and with less than 15 minutes remaining, they came back to win 21, with substitute Henrik
Larsson, in his final appearance for the club, setting up goals for Samuel Eto'o and fellow
substitute Juliano Belletti, for the club's first European Cup victory in 14 years.[78]
Despite being the favourites and starting strongly, Barcelona finished the 200607 season
without trophies. A pre-season US tour was later blamed for a string of injuries to key players,
including leading scorer Eto'o and rising star Lionel Messi. There was open feuding as Eto'o
publicly criticised coach Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho. [79] Ronaldinho also admitted that a lack
of fitness affected his form.[80] In La Liga, Barcelona were in first place for much of the season, but
inconsistency in the New Year saw Real Madrid overtake them to become champions. Barcelona
advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, winning the first leg against Getafe 52, with a
goal from Messi bringing comparison to Diego Maradona's goal of the century, but then lost the
second leg 40. They took part in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup, but were beaten by a late goal
in the final against Brazilian side Internacional.[81] In the Champions League, Barcelona were
knocked out of the competition in the last 16 by eventual runners-up Liverpool on away goals.
Barcelona finished the 200708 season third in La Liga and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA
Champions League and Copa del Rey, both times losing to the eventual champions, Manchester
United and Valencia, respectively. The day after a 41 defeat to Real Madrid, Joan
Laporta announced that Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola would take over Frank Rijkaard's
duties on 30 June 2008.[82]

Guardiola era (20082012)

Valds

Tour

Piqu

Puyol (C)

Sylvinho

Busquets

Messi

Henry

Xavi

Iniesta

Eto'o
2009 Champions League Final starting lineup
Barcelona's midfield combination of Andrs Iniesta (left) and Xavi (right) were at the heart of
Guardiola's tiki-taka passing style of play.[83]

FC Barcelona B youth manager Pep Guardiola took over Frank Rijkaard's duties at the
conclusion of the season.[82] Guardiola brought with him the now famous tiki-taka style of play he
had been taught during his time in the Barcelona youth teams. In the process, Guardiola sold
Ronaldinho and Deco and started building the Barcelona team around Xavi, Andrs Iniesta and
Messi.
Bara beat Athletic Bilbao 41 in the 2009 Copa del Rey Final, winning the competition for a
record-breaking 25th time. A historic 26 victory against Real Madrid followed three days later
and ensured that Barcelona became La Liga champions for the 200809 season. Bara finished
the season by beating the previous year's Champions League winners Manchester United 20 at
the Stadio Olimpico in Rome to win their third Champions League title and completed the first
ever treble won by a Spanish team.[84][85][86] The team went on to win the 2009 Supercopa de
Espaa against Athletic Bilbao[87] and the 2009 UEFA Super Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk,
[88]
becoming the first European club to win both domestic and European Super Cups following a
treble. In December 2009, Barcelona won the 2009 FIFA Club World Cup,[89] and became the first
football club ever to accomplish the sextuple.[90]Barcelona accomplished two new records in
Spanish football in 2010 as they retained the La Liga trophy with 99 points and won the Spanish
Super Cup trophy for a ninth time.[91][92]
 Valds

Mascherano

Piqu

Alves

Abidal

Busquets

Pedro

Villa

Xavi (C)

Iniesta

Messi
2011 Champions League Final starting lineup

After Laporta's departure from the club in June 2010, Sandro Rosell was soon elected as the
new president. The elections were held on 13 June, where he got 61.35% (57,088 votes, a
record) of total votes.[93] Rosell signed David Villa from Valencia for 40 million[94] and Javier
Mascherano from Liverpool for 19 million.[95]
At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Barcelona players that had graduated from the
club's La Masia youth system would play a major role in Spain becoming world champions. On
11 July, seven players who came through the academy participated in the final, six of which were
Barcelona players whom started the match, with Iniesta scoring the winning goal against
the Netherlands.[96]
In November 2010, Barcelona defeated their main rival, Real Madrid 50 in El Clsico. In
the 201011 season, Barcelona retained the La Liga trophy, their third title in succession,
finishing with 96 points.[97] In April 2011, the club reached the Copa del Rey final, losing 10 to
Real Madrid at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia.[98] In May, Barcelona defeated Manchester
United in the 2011 Champions League Final 31 held at Wembley Stadium, a repeat of the 2009
final, winning their fourth European Cup.[99] In August 2011, La Masia graduate Cesc
Fbregas was bought from Arsenal and he would help Barcelona defend the Spanish Supercup
against Real Madrid. The Supercup victory brought the total number of official trophies to 73,
matching the number of titles won by Real Madrid.[100]
Later the same month, Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup after defeating Porto 20 thanks to
goals from Lionel Messi and Cesc Fbregas. This extended the club's overall number of official
trophies to 74, surpassing Real Madrid's total amount of official trophies. [101] The UEFA Super Cup
victory also marked another impressive achievement as Pep Guardiola won his 12th trophy out
of 15 possible in only three years at the helm of the club, becoming the all-time record holder of
most titles won as a coach at FC Barcelona.[102]

After scoring twice in Barcelona's victory over Santos in the final of the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup, Messi
greets future club teammate Neymar

In December, Barcelona won the FIFA Club World Cup for a record second time since its
establishment, by beating the Brazilian 2011 Copa Libertadores holders, Santos, 40 in the final
thanks to two goals from Lionel Messi and goals from Xavi and Fbregas. [103] As a result, the
overall trophy haul during the reign of Guardiola was further extended and saw Barcelona win
their 13th trophy out of 24 possible in four years, continuing their high-quality performance in
recent world football competitions.[104][105]
In the 201112 season, Barcelona lost the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League
against Chelsea. Right afterward, coach Pep Guardiola, who had been on a rolling contract and
had faced criticism over his recent tactics and squad selections,[106][107] announced that he would
step down as manager on 30 June and be succeeded by assistant Tito Vilanova.[108][109] Guardiola
finished his tenure with Bara winning the Copa del Rey final 30, bringing the tally to 14 trophies
that Bara had won under his coaching.[110]

Recent history (2012)

It was announced in summer of 2012 that Tito Vilanova, assistant manager at FC Barcelona,
would take over from Pep Guardiola as manager. Following his appointment, Barcelona went on
an incredible run that saw them hold the top spot on the league table for the entire season,
recording only two losses and amassing 100 points. Their top scorer once again was Lionel
Messi, who scored 46 goals in the League, including two hat-tricks. On 11 May 2013 Barcelona
were crowned as the Spanish football champions for the 22nd time, still with four games left to
play. Ultimately Barcelona ended the season 15 points clear of rivals Real Madrid, despite losing
21 to them at the beginning of March.[111] They reached the semifinal stage of both the Copa del
Rey and the Champions League, going out to Real Madrid and Bayern Munich respectively. On
19 July, it was announced that Vilanova was resigning as Barcelona manager because his throat
cancer had returned, and he would be receiving treatment for the second time after a three-
month medical leave in December 2012.[112]
On 22 July 2013, Gerardo 'Tata' Martino was confirmed as manager of FC Barcelona for the
201314 season.[113] Barcelona's first official games under Martino were the home and away legs
of the 2013 Spanish Supercup, which Bara won 11 on away goals. On 23 January 2014,
Sandro Rosell resigned as president by the admissibility of the complaint for alleged
misappropriation following the transfer of Neymar. Josep Maria Bartomeu replaced him to finish
the term in 2016.
In April 2014, FIFA banned the club from buying players for the next two transfer windows
following the violation of the FIFA's rules about the transfer of footballers aged under 18. [114] A
statement on FIFA's website read "With regard to the case in question, FC Barcelona has been
found to be in breach of art. 19 of the Regulations in the case of ten minor players and to have
committed several other concurrent infringements in the context of other players, including under
Annexe 2 of the Regulations. The Disciplinary Committee regarded the infringements as serious
and decided to sanction the club with a transfer ban at both national and international level for
two complete and consecutive transfer periods, together with a fine of CHF 450,000. Additionally,
the club was granted a period of 90 days in which to regularise the situation of all minor players
concerned."[115] FIFA rejected an appeal in August but the pending appeal to the Court of
Arbitration for Sport allowed Barcelona to sign players during the summer of 2014.[116]

Luis Surez became the club's most expensive signing in 2014, costing between 81 and 94 million.

On 17 May, in a game where they needed to defeat Atltico Madrid (who had eliminated them
from the UEFA Champions League in the quarterfinals earlier in the year) to be crowned
champions of La Liga for the 23rd time, they drew after Atltico defender Diego Godn headed in
the equaliser in the 49th minute, giving Atltico the championship.[117]
Two days later, it was announced that Luis Enrique would return to Barcelona as head coach,
after he agreed to a two-year deal. He was recommended by sporting director Andoni
Zubizarreta, his former national teammate.[118][119] Following Enrique's arrival, Barcelona broke
their transfer record when they paid Liverpool F.C. between 81 to 94 million for striker Luis
Surez,[120][121] who was serving a four-month ban from all football-related activity imposed by
the FIFA Disciplinary Committee after biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during his
appearance for Uruguay in a World Cup group stage match.[122][123][124]

ter Stegen
 Piqu

Mascherano

Alves

Alba

Busquets

Messi

Neymar

Rakiti

Iniesta (C)

Surez
2015 Champions League Final starting lineup

In late December, Barcelona's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport was unsuccessful and
the original transfer ban was reinstated, leaving the club unable to utilise the 2015 winter and
summer transfer windows.[116] On 5 January 2015, Zubizareta was sacked by the board after 4
years as director of football.[125] The next month, Barcelona announced the formation of a new
Football Area Technical Commission, made up of vice-president Jordi Mestre, board member
Javier Bordas, Carles Rexach and Ariedo Braida.[126]
Barcelona won the treble in the 20142015 season, winning La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA
Champions League titles, and became the first European team to have won the treble twice.
[127]
On 17 May, the club clinched their 23rd La Liga title after defeating Atltico Madrid.[128] This
was Barcelona's seventh La Liga title in the last ten years.[129] On 30 May, the club
defeated Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey final at Camp Nou.[130] On 6 June, Barcelona won
the UEFA Champions League final with a 31 win against Juventus, which completed the treble,
the club's second in 6 years.[131] Barcelona's attacking trio of Messi, Surez and Neymar, dubbed
MSN, scored 122 goals in all competitions, the most in a season for an attacking trio in Spanish
football history.[132]
On 11 August, Barcelona started the 201516 season winning a joint record fifth European Super
Cup by beating Sevilla FC 54 in the 2015 UEFA Super Cup. They ended the year with a 30 win
over Argentine club River Plate in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final on 20 December to win
the trophy for a record third time, with Surez, Messi and Iniesta the top three players of the
tournament.[133] The FIFA Club World Cup was Barcelona's 20th international title, a record only
matched by Egyptian club Al Ahly SC.[134][135] By scoring 180 goals in 2015 in all competitions,
Barcelona set the record for most goals scored in a calendar year, breaking Real Madrid's record
of 178 goals scored in 2014.[136]
On 4 January 2016, Barcelona's transfer ban ended. The same day, they registered 77 players
across all categories and ages, and both last summer signings Arda Turan and Aleix
Vidal became eligible to play with the first team.[137] On 10 February, qualifying for the sixth Copa
del Rey final in the last eight seasons, Luis Enrique's Barcelona broke the club's record of 28
consecutive games unbeaten in all competitions set by Guardiola's team in the 201011 season,
with a 11 draw with Valencia in the second leg of the 201516 Copa del Rey.[138][139] With a 51
win at Rayo Vallecano on 3 March, Barcelona's 35th match unbeaten, the club broke Real
Madrid's Spanish record of 34 games unbeaten in all competitions from the 19881989 season.
[140][141]
After Bara reached 39 matches unbeaten, the run has ended on 2 April 2016 with a 21
defeat to Real Madrid at Camp Nou.[142] On 14 May 2016, Barcelona won their sixth La Liga title in
eight seasons with a 30 win in the final day of the season at Granada CF.[143]

Support
Main article: Supporters of FC Barcelona
Els Culs at the Camp de la Indstria

The nickname cul for a Barcelona supporter is derived from the Catalan cul (English: arse), as
the spectators at the first stadium, Camp de la Indstria, sat with their culs over the stand. In
Spain, about 25% of the population is said to be Bara sympathisers, second behind Real
Madrid, supported by 32% of the population.[144] Throughout Europe, Barcelona is the favourite
second-choice club.[145] The club's membership figures have seen a significant increase from
100,000 in the 200304 season to 170,000 in September 2009,[146] the sharp rise being attributed
to the influence of Ronaldinho and then-president Joan Laporta's media strategy that focused on
Spanish and English online media.[147][148]
In addition to membership, as of 2015 there are 1,267 officially registered fan clubs,
called penyes, around the world.[149] The fan clubs promote Barcelona in their locality and receive
beneficial offers when visiting Barcelona.[150] Among the best supported teams globally, Barcelona
has the highest social media following in the world among sports teams, with over 90 million
Facebook fans as of February 2016.[10][151][152] The club has had many prominent people among its
supporters, including Pope John Paul II, who was an honorary member, and former prime
minister of Spain Jos Luis Rodrguez Zapatero.[153][154] FC Barcelona has the second highest
average attendance of European football clubs only behind Borussia Dortmund.[155][156]

Club rivalries
El Clsico
Main article: El Clsico

Players jostle in Barcelona's 26 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabu Stadium in a 2009 El
Clsico

There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is
particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barcelona and Real Madrid is known
as El Clsico. From the start of national competitions the clubs were seen as representatives of
two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities. The rivalry reflects
what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians,
seen by one author as a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War.[157]
During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera (19231930) and especially of Francisco
Franco (19391975), all regional cultures were suppressed. All of the languages spoken in
Spanish territory, except Spanish (Castilian) itself, were officially banned.[158][159]Symbolising the
Catalan people's desire for freedom, Bara became 'More than a club' (Ms que un club) for the
Catalans. According to Manuel Vzquez Montalbn, the best way for the Catalans to
demonstrate their identity was by joining Bara. It was less risky than joining a clandestine anti-
Franco movement, and allowed them to express their dissidence.[160] During Franco's regime,
however, the blaugrana team was granted profit due to its good relationship with the dictator at
management level, even giving two awards to him.[161]
On the other hand, Real Madrid was widely seen as the embodiment of the sovereign
oppressive centralism and the fascist regime at management level and beyond: Santiago
Bernabeu, the former club president for whom their stadium is named, fought on the Nationalist
side during the Spanish Civil War.[162][163] However, during the Spanish Civil War, members of both
clubs such as Josep Sunyol and Rafael Snchez Guerra suffered at the hands of Franco
supporters.
During the 1950s the rivalry was exacerbated further when there was a controversy surrounding
the transfer of Alfredo di Stfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key to their
subsequent success.[164] The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met
twice in a controversial knock-out round of the European Cup, with Madrid receiving
unfavourable treatment from the referee.[165][166] In 2002, the European encounter between the
clubs was dubbed the "Match of The Century" by Spanish media, and Madrid's win was watched
by more than 500 million people.[167]

El derbi Barcelon
Main article: Derbi barcelon

Barcelona fan holding a Catalan independentist flag during El derbi Barcelon against Espanyol in the
200506 season

Bara's local rival has always been Espanyol. Blanc-i-blaus, being one of the clubs granted royal
patronage, was founded exclusively by Spanish football fans, unlike the multinational nature of
Bara's primary board. The founding message of the club was clearly anti-Barcelona, and they
disapprovingly saw FC Barcelona as a team of foreigners. [168] The rivalry was strengthened by
what Catalonians saw as a provocative representative of Madrid. [169] Their original ground was in
the affluent district of Sarri.[170][171]
Traditionally, Espanyol was seen by the vast majority of Barcelona's citizens as a club which
cultivated a kind of compliance to the central authority, in stark contrast to Bara's revolutionary
spirit.[172] Also in the 1960s and 1970s, while FC Barcelona acted as an integrating force for
Catalonia's new arrivals from poorer regions of Spain expecting to find a better life, Espanyol
drew their support mainly from sectors close to the regime such as policemen, military officers,
civil servants and career fascists.[173]
In 1918 Espanyol started a counter-petition against autonomy, which at that time had become a
pertinent issue.[168] Later on, an Espanyol supporter group would join the Falangists in the
Spanish Civil War, siding with the fascists. Despite these differences in ideology, the derbi has
always been more relevant to Espanyol supporters than Barcelona ones due to the difference in
objectives. In recent years the rivalry has become less political, as Espanyol translated its official
name and anthem from Spanish to Catalan.[168]
Though it is the most played local derby in the history of La Liga, it is also the most unbalanced,
with Barcelona overwhelmingly dominant. In the primera divisin league table, Espanyol has only
managed to end above Bara on three occasions from 81 seasons (19282016) and the only all-
Catalan Copa del Rey final was won by Bara in 1957. Espanyol has the consolation of
achieving the largest margin win with a 60 in 1951, while Barcelona's biggest win was 50 on
six occasions (in 1933, 1947, 1964, 1975, 1992 and 2016). Espanyol achieved a 21 win against
Bara during the 200809 season, becoming the first team to defeat Barcelona at Camp Nou in
their treble-winning season.[174]

Rivalry with A.C. Milan

Barcelona's ultras Boixos Nois in the 2005-06 UEFA Champions League semi-final against Milan at San
Siro

Barcelona's rival in European football is Italian club A.C. Milan.[175][176][177][178] The team against which
Barcelona has played the most matches (19), it is also the second most played match in
European competitions after Bayern Munich Real Madrid (22). [179][180] Two of the most successful
clubs in Europe, Milan has won seven European Cups to Bara's five, while both clubs have won
a record five European Super Cups.[181] Barcelona and Milan have won other continental titles,
which make them the first and third most decorated teams in world football, with 20 and 18 titles
respectively.[182]
Barcelona leads the Head-To-Head record with eight wins and five defeats. The first encounter
between the two clubs was in the 195960 European Cup. They faced off in the round of 16 and
Bara won the tie on a 71 aggregate score (02 in Milan and 51 in Barcelona). [183] While Milan
had never knocked Barcelona out of the European Cup, they've beaten Johan Cruyff's Dream
Team 40 in the 1994 UEFA Champions League Final, despite being the underdogs.[184][185] In
2013, however, Barcelona made a "historic" comeback from a 02 first leg defeat in the round of
16 of the 201213 UEFA Champions League, winning 40 at the Camp Nou.[186][187]

Ownership and finances

Civil Guards at the socis' entrance of the Camp de la Indstria

Along with Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna, Barcelona is organised as a registered
association. Unlike a limited company, it is not possible to purchase shares in the club, but only
membership.[188] The members of Barcelona, called socis, form an assembly of delegates which is
the highest governing body of the club.[189] As of 2016 the club has 140,000 socis.[190]
In 2010, Forbes evaluated Barcelona's worth to be around 752 million (USD $1 billion), ranking
them fourth after Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal, based on figures from the 2008
09 season.[191][192] According to Deloitte, Barcelona had a recorded revenue of 366 million in the
same period, ranking second to Real Madrid, who generated 401 million in revenue. [193] In
2013, Forbes magazine ranked Barcelona the third most valuable sports team in the world,
behind Real Madrid and Manchester United, with a value of $2.6 billion.[194] In
2014, Forbes ranked them the second most valuable sports team in the world, worth $3.2 billion,
and Deloitte ranked them the world's fourth richest football club in terms of revenue, with an
annual turnover of 484.6 million.[3][195]

Records
For more details on this topic, see List of FC Barcelona records and statistics.

Lionel Messi is the club's all-time top-scorer

Xavi holds the record for most games played for Barcelona.

Xavi presently holds the team record for most number of total games played (767) and the record
number of La Liga appearances (505), Andrs Iniesta comes second with 610 in all competitions
and 398 in the League.[196]
Barcelona's all-time highest goalscorer in all competitions (including friendlies) is Lionel
Messi with 514 goals, surpassing Paulino Alcntara's record (369 goals) held for 87 years, as
well as being the highest goalscorer in official competitions with 482 goals. [197][198] He is also the
record goalscorer for Barcelona in European (96 goals) and international club competitions (101
goals),[199] and the record league scorer with 327 goals in La Liga. Alongside Messi, three other
players have managed to score over 100 league goals at Barcelona: Csar (192), Lszl
Kubala (131) and Samuel Eto'o (108). Josep Samitier is the club's highest goalscorer in the Copa
del Rey, with 65 goals.[196]
Lszl Kubala holds La Liga record of most goals scored in one match, with seven goals
against Sporting de Gijn in 1952.[200] Lionel Messi, with five goals against Bayer
Leverkusen in 2012, has the Champions League record.[201] Eulogio Martnez became Bara's top
goalscorer in a cup game, when he scored seven goals against Atltico Madrid in 1957.[196]
Barcelona goalkeepers have won a record number of Zamora trophies (20), with Antoni
Ramallets and Vctor Valds winning a record five each. Valds had a ratio of 0.832 goals-
conceded-per-game, a La Liga record,[202] and he also holds the record for longest period without
conceding a goal (896 minutes) in all competitions for Barcelona. [203] Claudio Bravo has the record
of best unbeaten start in a season in La Liga history (754 minutes).[204][205]
Barcelona's longest serving manager is Jack Greenwell, with nine years in two spells (1917
1924) and (19311933), and Pep Guardiola is the club's most successful manager (14 trophies
in 4 years).[196] The most successful Barcelona players are Andrs Iniesta and Messi (29
trophies), surpassing Xavi (25 trophies).[206]
Barcelona's Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe. The club's highest home attendance
was 120,000 in a European Cup quarter-final against Juventus on 3 March 1986.[207] The
modernisation of Camp Nou during the 1990s and the introduction of all-seater stands means the
record will not be broken for the foreseeable future as the current capacity of the stadium is
99,354.[208]
El Bara de les Cinc Copes is the first team in Spanish football to have won five trophies in a
single season (19511952).[196][209][210][211] Barcelona is the only club to have played in every season
of European competitions since they started in 1955. [212][213] On 18 December 2009, alongside
being the only Spanish club to achieve the continental treble, Barcelona became the first ever
football team to complete the sextuple.[214][215] On July 2014, Barcelona signed Luis
Surez from Liverpool F.C. for about 75m, the highest transfer fee in the Club's history.[216][217] In
2016, the club set a Spanish record for most consecutive games unbeaten in all competitions
(39).[140]
Barcelona's La Masia is ranked by the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) as the
academy that produces more top-level players than any other academy in the world. [218][219][220]

Crest and colours

The first crest worn by Bara. The club shared Barcelona's coat of arms, as a demonstration of its
identification with the city and a desire to be recognised as one. [221]
The club's original crest was a quartered diamond-shaped crest topped by the Crown of
Aragon and the bat of King James, and surrounded by two branches, one of a laurel tree and the
other a palm.[21] In 1910 the club held a competition among its members to design a new crest.
The winner was Carles Comamala, who at the time played for the club. Comamala's suggestion
became the crest that the club wears today, with some minor variations. The crest consists of
the St George Cross in the upper-left corner with the Catalan flag beside it, and the team colours
at the bottom.[21]
The blue and red colours of the shirt were first worn in a match against Hispania in 1900.
[222]
Several competing theories have been put forth for the blue and red design of the Barcelona
shirt. The son of the first president, Arthur Witty, claimed it was the idea of his father as the
colours were the same as the Merchant Taylor's School team. Another explanation, according to
author Toni Strubell, is that the colours are from Robespierre's First Republic. In Catalonia the
common perception is that the colours were chosen by Joan Gamper and are those of his home
team, FC Basel.[223] The club's most frequently used change colours have been yellow and
orange. An away kit featuring the red and yellow stripes of the flag of Catalonia has also been
used.

The first kit worn by the club in Traditional Barcelona uniform since
1899.[224] the 1920s.[225]

The club used horizontal stripes in the 2015

2016 season only.[226]

Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Prior to the 20112012 season, Barcelona had a long history of avoiding corporate sponsorship
on the playing shirts. On 14 July 2006, the club announced a five-year agreement with UNICEF,
which includes having the UNICEF logo on their shirts. The agreement had the club donate
1.5 million per year to UNICEF (0.7% of its ordinary income, equal to the UN International Aid
Target, cf. ODA) via the FC Barcelona Foundation.[227] The FC Barcelona Foundation is an entity
set up in 1994 on the suggestion of then-chairman of the Economical-Statutory Committee,
Jaime Gil-Aluja. The idea was to set up a foundation that could attract financial sponsorships to
support a non-profit sport company.[228] In 2004, a company could become one of 25 "Honorary
members" by contributing between 40,00060,000 (55,40083,100) [229] per year. There are also
48 associate memberships available for an annual fee of 14,000 (19,400) [229] and an unlimited
number of "patronages" for the cost of 4,000 per year (5,500). [229] It is unclear whether the
honorary members have any formal say in club policy, but according to the author Anthony King,
it is "unlikely that Honorary Membership would not involve at least some informal influence over
the club".[230]
Barcelona ended their refusal of corporate sponsorship prior to the commencement of the 2011
12 season, signing a five-year, 150 million deal with Qatar Sports Investments, that meant
the Qatar Foundation[231] was on the club's shirt for the 201112 and 201213 seasons, then
replaced by Qatar Airways for the 201314 season, the deal allowing for a commercial sponsor
logo to replace the charity logo, two years into the six-year deal. [232] The deal with Qatar Airways
was extended for one more year in 2016.[233]

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt partner

19821992 Meyba

19921998 Kappa

19982006

20062011 UNICEF

20112013 Qatar Foundation / UNICEF

Nike
20132014 Qatar Airways / Intel / UNICEF

20142016 Qatar Airways / Intel / UNICEF / Beko

2016 Qatar Airways / Intel / UNICEF / Beko / Gatorade

Stadia
Main articles: Camp de la Indstria, Camp de Les Corts, and Camp Nou
An elevated view of the Camp de Les Corts in 1930. It was the home stadium for Barcelona until the club
moved to the Camp Nou in 1957

Barcelona initially played in the Camp de la Indstria. The capacity was about 6,000, and club
officials deemed the facilities inadequate for a club with growing membership. [234]
In 1922, the number of supporters had surpassed 20,000 and by lending money to the club,
Bara was able to build the larger Camp de Les Corts, which had an initial capacity of 20,000
spectators. After the Spanish Civil War the club started attracting more members and a larger
number of spectators at matches. This led to several expansion projects: the grandstand in 1944,
the southern stand in 1946, and finally the northern stand in 1950. After the last expansion, Les
Corts could hold 60,000 spectators.[235]
After the construction was complete there was no further room for expansion at Les Corts. Back-
to-back La Liga titles in 1948 and 1949 and the signing of Lszl Kubala in June 1950, who
would later go on to score 196 goals in 256 matches, drew larger crowds to the games. [235][236]
[237]
The club began to make plans for a new stadium.[235] The building of Camp Nou commenced
on 28 March 1954, before a crowd of 60,000 Bara fans. The first stone of the future stadium
was laid in place under the auspices of Governor Felipe Acedo Colunga and with the blessing of
Archbishop of Barcelona Gregorio Modrego. Construction took three years and ended on 24
September 1957 with a final cost of 288 million pesetas, 336% over budget.[235]

One of the Camp Nou stands displays Barcelona's motto, "Ms que un club", meaning 'More than a club'

In 1980, when the stadium was in need of redesign to meet UEFA criteria, the club raised money
by offering supporters the opportunity to inscribe their name on the bricks for a small fee. The
idea was popular with supporters, and thousands of people paid the fee. Later this became the
centre of controversy when media in Madrid picked up reports that one of the stones was
inscribed with the name of long-time Real Madrid chairman and Franco supporter Santiago
Bernabu.[238][239][240] In preparation for the 1992 Summer Olympics two tiers of seating were
installed above the previous roofline.[241] It has a current capacity of 99,354 making it the largest
stadium in Europe.[1]
There are also other facilities, which include:[242]

Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper (FC Barcelona's training ground)

Masia-Centre de Formaci Oriol Tort (Residence of young players)

 Mini Estadi (Home of the reserve team)

Palau Blaugrana (FC Barcelona indoor sports arena)

Palau Blaugrana 2 (Secondary indoor arena of FC Barcelona)

Pista de Gel (FC Barcelona ice rink)

Honours
See also: FC Barcelona honours and FC Barcelona in European football

Barcelona celebrating their FIFA Club World Cup 2011 win against Santos FC

Domestic competitions
La Liga[243]
Winners (24): 192829, 194445, 194748, 194849, 195152, 195253, 1958
59, 195960, 197374, 198485, 199091, 199192, 199293, 199394, 199798, 1998
99, 200405, 200506, 200809, 200910, 201011, 201213, 201415, 201516

Copa del Rey[244]

Winners (28) record: 190910, 191112, 191213, 191920, 192122, 1924
25, 192526, 192728, 194142, 195051, 195152, 195253, 195657, 195859, 1962
63, 196768, 197071, 197778, 198081, 198283, 198788, 198990, 199697, 199
798, 200809, 201112, 201415, 201516

Supercopa de Espaa[245]
Winners (12)
record: 1983, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016

Copa Eva Duarte[246][247][note 2]

Winners (3) record: 1948, 1952, 1953

Copa de la Liga[248]
Winners (2) record: 198283, 198586
European competitions
European Cup / UEFA Champions League[249]
Winners (5): 199192, 200506, 200809, 201011, 201415

European Super Cup / UEFA Super Cup[250]

Winners (5) shared record: 1992, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2015
 European Cup Winners' Cup / UEFA Cup Winners' Cup[251]
Winners (4) record: 197879, 198182, 198889, 199697

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup[252]

Winners (3) record: 195558, 195860, 196566
Worldwide competitions
FIFA Club World Cup[253]
Winners (3) record: 2009, 2011, 2015