“Més que un club”
In English, this translates to “More than a club.” It’s the famous slogan of the renowned Barcelona Football Club. We’ve all heard of it, but how much do you really know about it?
In this post, you will learn a few interesting facts about one of the most important phenomena in football history.
What is Futbol Club Barcelona?
Futbol Club Barcelona, also called Barça or FCB, is a multi-sport organization based in Barcelona City, Spain. It was founded as a soccer club on November 29, 1899, and officially registered on January 5, 1903.
FCB Awards:
FCB is one of the most successful institutions in the world, with a total of one hundred and twenty-eight official regional, national and international titles in its more than one hundred and ten years of history. It has more official titles than any other Spanish club: five Champion League, five UEFA Super Cups, four European Cup Winners’ Cups, three Fairs Cups, two Latin Cups, and three Club World Cups prominently stand out.
FCB holds the record for trophies with seventy-four in national competitions, broken down between twenty-six Leagues, thirty Spanish Cups, seventeen Spanish Super Cups, and two League Cups. In terms of titles in the autonomous community, FCB has won twenty-three Catalan Championships, seven Catalan Cups, and two Catalan Supercups.
According to IFFHS statistics, Barcelona F. C. is the best European and world soccer team of the first decade of the century and leads the global ranking of the century with 5228 wins. The soccer team has also been on the FIFA World Player (19) and Ballon d’Or (34) podiums more than any other team.
With the title achieved in the final match of the UEFA Women’s Champions League 2020-21, it’s the first Spanish and European club to be a continental champion in the men’s and women’s league, an achievement never seen before in Europe. Since May 30th, 2021, it’s also the first club with male (2) and female (1) hat-tricks.
Its two historic rivals are Real Madrid, against whom it plays “El Clasico”, and Real Club Deportivo Espanyol, against whom it plays the “Barcelona derby”, the former being one of the most contentious and riveting matches in the world of soccer.
The FCB Stadium: The Camp Nou
Camp Nou is The F.C. Barcelona stadium and owned by the club itself. Inaugurated in 1957, it has a capacity of 99,354 spectators, all seated, making it the largest stadium in Spain and Europe. It is one of the four stadiums in Spain classified as a “Five Star Stadium” by UEFA, which qualifies it to host Champions League, European Super Cup, and UEFA Cup finals, as it has done on 15 occasions.
The stadium is located in the Les Corts district in the city of Barcelona. It’s located near other club facilities, such as the Mini Estadi (Barcelona B’s stadium) and the Palau Blaugrana, the basketball team’s home ground. Camp Nou is also home to the F. C. Barcelona Museum, one of the most visited museums in Catalonia.
Joan Laporta i Estruch serves as the current president of the FCB. Laporta was the only candidate who had already been president of FC Barcelona between 2003 and 2010 and now, eleven years later, he is back to lead the Club.
Here’s a map showing Camp Nou’s location so you won’t get lost trying to get there.
The FCB teams
FC Barcelona, one of the world’s most iconic football clubs, boasts a rich and storied history marked by periods of exceptional success and brilliance on the field. Over the decades, the club has witnessed the rise of legendary teams that have left an indelible mark on the global football landscape.
1.Cruyff’s Team (1988-1989):
- Johan Cruyff’s return to Barcelona as a coach laid the foundation for future success, influencing the playing style and philosophy that would define the Dream Team.
2. The Dream Team (1990-1994):
- Coached by Johan Cruyff, this team, featuring legends like Pep Guardiola, Michael Laudrup, and Hristo Stoichkov, achieved four consecutive La Liga titles and won Barcelona’s first European Cup in 1992.
3. Guardiola’s Team (2008-2012):
- Managed by Pep Guardiola, this team, with stars like Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez, and Andres Iniesta, played an exceptional brand of possession-based football. They secured numerous domestic and international titles, including two UEFA Champions League trophies.
4. Luis Suárez, Messi, Neymar (MSN) Era (2014-2017):
- Coached by Luis Enrique, the team featuring the formidable attacking trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, and Neymar achieved a historic treble in the 2014-2015 season, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.
Determining the “best” team is subjective, and each of these eras contributed significantly to FC Barcelona’s storied history, leaving an indelible mark on the world of football.
Lionel Messi, a legend
The best-known player of this FC was Leo Messi, often considered the top player in the world and one of the best of all time. He is the only football athlete in history to have won, among other awards, the Ballon d’Or six times (two Ballon d’Or and four FIFA Ballon d’Or); in addition to receiving six Golden Boots, a FIFA World Player, and a FIFA The Best. In 2020, he became the first football player to receive a Laureus Award…to be continued.
While playing with FCB, he has won 35 titles, including 10 in La Liga and 4 in UEFA Champions League, as well as seven Copa del Rey titles.
A prolific kicker, he holds (among others) the records for most goals in a season, a calendar year, the top scorer of La Liga, the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup, and non-European player with the most goals in the UEFA Champions League, all with the same club. He was also a top scorer for FCB and the Argentinean national team. He is the player with the most assists in official matches since records began.
With this knowledge, you can now declare yourself a true “barcelonista!”
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article covering the magnificent club located in Barcelona City.
If you’re not sure what to do after visiting El Camp Nou, I’ll include an amazing guide on What to do in Barcelona according to the number of days you’re planning to stay, please find it here:
https://tourinbarcelona.com/what-to-do-in-barcelona-in-days
See you in my next post.
Bye-Bye
Photo by Philippe Bourhis on Unsplash
