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FC Barcelona

Association football club in Spain

This subdivision is about the men's football arrangement. For the women's team, see FC Barcelona Femení. For the basketball line-up, see FC Barcelona Bàsquet. For glory futsal team, see FC Barcelona Futsal. For other uses, see Barca (disambiguation).

Not to be confused with Barcelona S.C. of Ecuador.

Football club

Futbol Club Barcelona (Catalan pronunciation:[fubˈbɔlˈklubbəɾsəˈlonə]), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça ([ˈbaɾsə]), report a professional football club based delicate Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes bit La Liga, the top flight lay out Spanish football.

Founded in 1899 get by without a group of Swiss, Catalan, Teutonic, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become dexterous symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto "Més que pass up club" ("More than a club").[2] Dissimilar many other football clubs, the blatant own and operate Barcelona. It admiration the third-most valuable football club fake the world, worth $5.6 billion, and significance world's fourth richest football club play a role terms of revenue, with an one-year turnover of €800.1 million.[3][4] The authorized Barcelona anthem is the "Cant depict Barça", written by Jaume Picas gift Josep Maria Espinàs.[5] Barcelona traditionally physical activity in dark shades of blue playing field garnet stripes, hence nicknamed Blaugrana.

Barcelona are one of the the world's most decorated clubs. Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 78 trophies: 27 La Liga, 31 Copa del Rey, 15 Supercopa de España, three Copa Eva Duarte, and two Copa well-off la Liga titles, as well introduce being the record holder for say publicly latter four competitions. In international truncheon football, the club has won 22 European and worldwide titles: five UEFA Champions League titles, a record combine UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, a joint record unite Latin Cups, and three FIFA Mace World Cups.[7][8] Barcelona was ranked pass with flying colours in the International Federation of Pasture History & Statistics Club World Brawny for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012, station 2015, and occupies the ninth attire on the UEFA club rankings makeover of May 2023[update].[9][10][11] The club has shipshape and bristol fashion long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, alight matches between the two teams total referred to as El Clásico.

Barcelona is one of the most generally supported teams in the world, focus on the club has one of interpretation largest social media following in representation world among sports teams.[12][13]Barcelona players accept won a joint record twelve Ballon d'Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a take down six FIFA World Player of significance Year awards, with winners including Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. In 2010, three players who came through the club's youth academy—Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi—were chosen significance the three best players in distinction world in the Ballon d'Or pecking order, an unprecedented feat for players diverge the same football academy.[14][15] Additionally, party representing the club have won efficient record eight European Golden Shoe awards.[16]

Barcelona is one of three founding chapters of the Primera División that own acquire never been relegated from the halt briefly division since its inception in 1929, along with Athletic Bilbao and Genuine Madrid.[17][18] In 2009, Barcelona became honourableness first Spanish club to win probity continental treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, and also became probity first European football club to magnify six out of six competitions fence in a single year, by also sugared the Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Chief Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.[19] In 2011, the club became Dweller champions again, winning five trophies.[20] That Barcelona team, which won fourteen trophies in just four years under Energy Guardiola, is considered by some dull the sport to be the pre-eminent team of all time.[21][22][23] By sweetened their fifth Champions League trophy find guilty 2015 under Luis Enrique, Barcelona became the first European football club shut in history to achieve the continental penetrating twice.[24]

History

Main article: History of FC Barcelona

See also: List of FC Barcelona seasons

1899–1922: Beginnings

On 22 October 1899, Swiss Hans Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to harmonized a football club; a positive feedback resulted in a meeting at dignity Gimnasio Solé on 29 November. Team players attended – Walter Wild (the first president of the club), Luis de Ossó, Bartomeu Terradas, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Navigator, Carles Pujol, Josep Llobet, John Sociologist, and William Parsons – and Foot-Ball Club Barcelona was born.[26][27]

FC Barcelona abstruse a successful start in regional favour national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa give Rey. In 1901, the club participated in the first football competition unnatural on the Iberian Peninsula, the Copa Macaya, narrowly losing to Hispania AC, but in the following year, Barça won the tournament, the club's first-ever piece of silverware,[28] and then participated in the first Copa del Rey, losing 1–2 to Bizcaya (a conjunction of players from Athletic Club give orders to Bilbao FC) in the final.[29] Lessening 1908, Hans Gamper – now famous as Joan Gamper – became bludgeon president in a desperate attempt resolve save Barcelona from extinction, finding righteousness club struggling not just on prestige pitch, but also financially and socially, after not winning a competition on account of the Campionat de Catalunya in 1905. He said in a meeting, "Barcelona cannot die and must not fall. If there is nobody who level-headed going to try, then I inclination assume the responsibility of running nobility club from now on."[30] Club head on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 era in total at the helm. Subject of his main achievements was ensuring Barça acquire its own stadium cranium thus generate a stable income.[31]

On 14 March 1909, the team moved succeed the Camp de la Indústria, grand stadium with a capacity of 8,000. To celebrate their new surroundings, dignity club conducted a logo contest integrity following year. Carles Comamala won influence contest, and his suggestion became representation crest that the club still wears – with some minor changes – as of the present day.[32]

The arena is regarded as the main remark that helped the club grow recovered the 1910s and become a basic team,[33] winning three successive Campionats support Catalunya between 1909 and 1911, link Copa del del Rey in quaternary years between 1910 and 1913, service four successive Pyrenees Cup between significance inaugural year in 1910 and 1913, which was one of the primordial international club cups in Europe in that it consisted of the best teams of Languedoc, Midi and Aquitaine (Southern France), the Basque Country and Catalonia; all were former members of leadership Marca Hispanica region. The contest was the most prestigious in that era.[34] Notable figures of Barça's first picture perfect team include Carles Comamala, Alfredo Massana, Amechazurra, Paco Bru, and Jack Greenwell.[35] The latter became the club's twig full-time coach in 1917.[36]

During the corresponding period, the club changed its not working properly language from Castilian to Catalan professor gradually evolved into an important image of Catalan identity. For many fans, participating in the club had ecological to do with the game upturn and more with being a put a stop to of the club's collective identity.[37] Award 4 February 1917, the club reserved its first tribute match to gaze Ramón Torralba, who played from 1913 to 1928. The match was accept local side Terrassa where Barcelona won the match 6–2.[38]

Gamper simultaneously launched exceptional campaign to recruit more club human resources, and by 1922, the club difficult more than 20,000, who helped economics a new stadium. The club accordingly moved to the new Les Cortez, which they inaugurated the same year.[39] Les Cortes had an initial competence of 30,000, and in the Decade it was expanded to 60,000.[40]

In 1912, Gamper recruited Paulino Alcántara, the club's seventh all-time top-scorer, and in 1917, Gamper also recruited Jack Greenwell slightly the first full-time manager in Barcelona's history. After this hiring, the club's fortunes began to improve on rank field and soon enjoyed its be foremost "golden age". Along with Alcántara, position Barça team under Greenwell also be part of the cause Sagibarba, Ricardo Zamora, Josep Samitier, Félix Sesúmaga, and Franz Platko.[41] This group won 9 out of 10 Campionats de Catalunya between 1919 and 1928 and two Copa del Rey decorations in 1920 and 1922. In finalize, during the Gamper-led era, Barcelona won eleven Campionats de Catalunya, six Copa del Rey and four Pyrenees Cups.[31]

1923–1931: Primo de Rivera, and first happy age

On 14 June 1925, in adroit spontaneous reaction against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the crowd in the stage jeered the Royal March. As cool reprisal, the ground was closed on line for six months and Gamper was minimum to relinquish the presidency of rendering club.[43] This coincided with the transfer to professional football, and, in 1926, the directors of Barcelona publicly conjectural, for the first time, to join a professional football club.[39]

On 3 July 1927, the club held a in two shakes testimonial match for Paulino Alcántara, opposed the Spanish national team. To dropkick off the match, local journalist discipline pilot Josep Canudas dropped the lump onto the pitch from his aeroplane.[44] In 1928, victory in the Land Cup was celebrated with a lyric titled "Oda a Platko", which was written by a member of class Generation of '27, Rafael Alberti, expressive by the heroic performance of honesty Barcelona goalkeeper, Franz Platko.[45] On 23 June 1929, Barcelona won the elementary Spanish League. A year after prepossessing the championship, on 30 July 1930, Gamper committed suicide after a span of depression brought on by precise and financial problems.[31]

1931–1939: Republic, and Debonair War: Assassination of President Sunyol

Although they continued to have players of class standing of Josep Escolà, the baton now entered a period of deteriorate, in which political conflict overshadowed diversions throughout society. Attendance at matches cast out as the citizens of Barcelona were occupied with discussing political matters.[46] Even if the team won the Campionat sustain Catalunya in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, and 1938, success at cool national level (with the exception commentary the 1937 disputed title) evaded them.

A month after the entire Romance Civil War began in 1936, indefinite players from Barcelona enlisted in excellence ranks of those who fought destroy the military uprising, along with bent from Athletic Bilbao.[47] On 6 Venerable, Falangist soldiers near Guadarrama murdered baton president Josep Sunyol, a representative be more or less the pro-independence political party.[48] He was dubbed the martyr of barcelonisme, add-on his assassination was a defining two seconds in the history of FC Metropolis and Catalan identity.[49] In the season of 1937, the squad was style tour in Mexico and the Common States, where it was received likewise an ambassador of the Second Land Republic. The tour led to honourableness financial security of the club on the contrary also resulted in half of interpretation team seeking asylum in Mexico bracket France, making it harder for magnanimity remaining team to contest for trophies.[50][51]

On 16 March 1938, Barcelona came below aerial bombardment from the Italian Outburst Force, causing more than 3,000 deaths, with one of the bombs striking the club's offices.[52][53] A few months later, Catalonia came under occupation with the addition of as a symbol of the "undisciplined" Catalanism, the club, now down understanding just 3,486 members, faced a publication of restrictions. All signs of local nationalism, including language, flag and regarding signs of separatism were banned everywhere Spain. The Catalan flag was criminal and the club were prohibited do too much using non-Spanish names. These measures nominal the club to change its fame to Club de Fútbol Barcelona avoid to remove the Catalan flag escaping its crest.[54]

1940–1957: Post-war, and start make merry Franco's regime

In 1943, Barcelona faced rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals round Copa del Generalísimo (now the Copa del Rey). The first match pretend Les Corts was won by Metropolis 3–0. Real Madrid comfortably won loftiness second leg, beating Barcelona 11–1.[55] According to football writer Sid Lowe, "There have been relatively few mentions learn the game [since] and it commission not a result that has back number particularly celebrated in Madrid. Indeed, blue blood the gentry 11–1 occupies a far more salient place in Barcelona's history. This was the game that first formed decency identification of Madrid as the band of the dictatorship and Barcelona primate its victims."[56] It has been socalled by local journalist Paco Aguilar turn Barcelona's players were threatened by law enforcement agency in the changing room, though fit was ever proven.[57]

Despite the difficult public situation, CF Barcelona enjoyed considerable good during the 1940s and 1950s. Expansion 1945, with Josep Samitier as instructor and players like César, Ramallets abstruse Velasco, they won La Liga friendship the first time since 1929. They added two more titles in 1948 and 1949.[58] In 1949, they likewise won the first Copa Latina.[59] Imprison June 1950, Barcelona signed László Kubala, who was to be an lid figure at the club.[60]

On a inclement Sunday of 1951, the crowd weigh Les Corts stadium after a 2–1 win against Santander by foot, contradictory to catch any trams, and startling the Francoist authorities. The reason was simple: at the same time, a-one tram strike was taking place just the thing Barcelona, receiving the support of blaugrana fans. Events like this made CF Barcelona represent much more than unbiased Catalonia and many progressive Spaniards maxim the club as a staunch belligerent of rights and freedoms.[61][62]

Coach Ferdinand Daučík and László Kubala led the band to five different trophies including Frigid Liga, the Copa del Generalísimo, decency Copa Latina, the Copa Eva Duarte, and the Copa Martini & Rossi in 1952. In 1953, the baton won La Liga and the Copa del Generalísimo again.[40]

1957–1978: Club de Fútbol Barcelona

With Helenio Herrera as coach, simple young Luis Suárez, the European Player of the Year in 1960, move two influential Hungarians recommended by Kubala, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor, excellence team won another national double pride 1959 and a La Liga spreadsheet Fairs Cup double in 1960. Current 1961, they became the first staff to beat Real Madrid in efficient European Cup play-off. However, they vanished 2–3 to Benfica in the final.[63][64]

The 1960s were less successful for ethics club, with Real Madrid monopolising Coldness Liga. The completion of Camp Nou, finished in 1957, meant the staff had little money to spend be adamant new players.[64] The 1960s saw glory emergence of Josep Maria Fusté gift Carles Rexach, and the club won the Copa del Generalísimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. Barcelona restored some pride by hiding Real Madrid 1–0 in the 1968 Copa del Generalísimo final at leadership Santiago Bernabéu in front of absolutist Francisco Franco, with coach Salvador Artigas, a former republican pilot in grandeur Civil War. With the end prepare Franco's dictatorship in 1974, the baton changed its official name back come to get Futbol Club Barcelona and reverted class crest to its original design, as well as the original letters once again.[65][66]

The 1973–74 season saw the arrival of Johan Cruyff, who was bought for unembellished world record £920,000 from Ajax.[67] By this time an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the Barcelona fans when he told the European quash that he chose Barcelona over Be situated Madrid because he could not grand gesture for a club associated with Francisco Franco. He further endeared himself considering that he named his son "Jordi", funding the local Catalan Saint George.[68] Catch on to champions like Juan Manuel Asensi, Carles Rexach and Hugo Sotil, be active helped the club win the 1973–74 season for the first time by reason of 1960, defeating Real Madrid 5–0 tempt the Santiago Bernabéu en route. Sand was crowned European Footballer of ethics Year in 1973 during his pull it off season with Barcelona (his second Ballon d'Or win; he won his be foremost while playing for Ajax in 1971). Cruyff received this prestigious award dexterous third time (the first player problem do so) in 1974, while dirt was still with Barcelona.[69]

1978–2000: Núñez nearby stabilization

In 1978, Josep Lluís Núñez became the first elected president of FC Barcelona, and, since then, the workers of Barcelona have elected the baton president. The process of electing unadulterated president of FC Barcelona was collectively tied to Spain's transition to independence in 1974 and the end go together with Franco's dictatorship. The new president's indication objective was to develop Barcelona discuss a world-class club by giving come into being stability both on and off representation pitch. His presidency was to extreme for 22 years, and it intensely affected the image of Barcelona, bring in Núñez held to a strict programme regarding wages and discipline, letting comprise of such players as Diego Maradona, Romário and Ronaldo rather than cessation of hostilities their demands.[72][73]

On 16 May 1979, blue blood the gentry club won its first European Trophy Winners' Cup by beating Fortuna Düsseldorf 4–3 in Basel in a parting watched by more than 30,000 nomadic blaugrana fans. The same year, Núñez began to invest in the club's youth programme by converting La Masia into a dormitory for young establishment players from abroad. The name vacation the dormitory would later become similar with the youth programme of Barcelona.[74]

In June 1982, Diego Maradona was simple for a world record fee surrounding £5 million from Boca Juniors.[75] In influence following season, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona won the Copa illustrate Rey, beating Real Madrid. Maradona's goal with Barcelona, however, was short-lived president he soon left for Napoli. Uncertain the start of the 1984–85 period, Terry Venables was hired as chief and he won La Liga monitor noteworthy displays by German midfielder Bernd Schuster. The next season, he took the team to their second Dweller Cupfinal, only to lose on penalties to Steaua București during a clear evening in Seville.[72]

Around this time, tensions began to arise between what was perceived as president Núñez's dictatorial obligation and the nationalistic support group, Boixos Nois. The group, identified with neat as a pin left-wing separatism, repeatedly demanded the abandonment of Núñez and openly defied him through chants and banners at matches. At the same time, Barcelona skilled an eruption in skinheads, who oft identified with a right-wing separatism. Influence skinheads slowly transferred the Boixos Nois' ideology from liberalism to fascism, which caused division within the group avoid a sudden support for Núñez's presidency.[76] Inspired by British hooligans, the extant Boixos Nois became violent, causing wrack leading to large-scale arrests.[77]

After the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Barcelona signed rendering English top scorer Gary Lineker, onward with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta, but prestige team could not achieve success, slightly Schuster was excluded from the unit. Terry Venables was subsequently fired mine the beginning of the 1987–88 term and replaced with Luis Aragonés. Dignity season finished with the players insurgent against president Núñez, in an impede known as the Hesperia mutiny, boss a 1–0 victory in the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.[72]

In 1988, Johan Cruyff returned to significance club, this time as manager alight he assembled what would later properly dubbed the "Dream Team".[78] He shabby a mix of Spanish players love Pep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, Miguel Angel Nadal, bear Txiki Begiristain while signing international mould such as Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário, and Hristo Stoichkov.[79]

It was decayed years after the inception of depiction youth programme, La Masia, when say publicly young players began to graduate sit play for their first team. Liveliness Guardiola, the future coach of Metropolis, was one of the first graduates and would go on to appropriate international recognition.[80] Under Cruyff's guidance, City won four consecutive La Liga awards from 1991 to 1994. They conquer Sampdoria in both the 1989 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup final and rendering 1992 European Cup final at Wembley, with a free kick goal evade Dutch international Ronald Koeman. They along with won a Copa del Rey wealthy 1990, the European Super Cup take away 1992 and three Supercopa de España trophies.[81] With 11 trophies, Cruyff became the club's most successful manager get rid of impurities that point. He also became decency club's longest consecutive serving manager, plateful eight years.[82] Cruyff's fortune was attend to change, and, in his final three seasons, he failed to win cockamamie trophies and fell out with commandant Josep Lluís Núñez, resulting in government departure.[72]

Reacting to Cruyff's departure, an selfgoverning protest group was organised by Armand Caraben, Joan Laporta and Alfons Godall.[83] The objective of the group, baptized L'Elefant Blau, was to oppose nobility presidency of Núñez, which they thought as a corruption of the club's traditional values.[83][84] Laporta would later capture over the presidency of Barcelona wellheeled 2003.[85]

Cruyff was briefly replaced by Copper Robson, who took charge of integrity club for a single season sophisticated 1996–97. He recruited Ronaldo for smashing world record transfer fee from fulfil previous club, PSV and delivered uncluttered cup treble, winning the Copa show Rey, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup stake the Supercopa de España, with Ronaldo registering 47 goals in 49 games.[86] Despite his success, Robson was solitary ever seen as a short-term cobble together while the club waited for Gladiator van Gaal to become available.[87]

Like Maradona, Ronaldo only stayed a short spell before he left for Inter Milano in another world record transfer.[86] Nevertheless, new heroes emerged, such as Luís Figo, Patrick Kluivert, Luis Enrique with Rivaldo, and the team won regular Copa del Rey and La Liga double in 1998. In 1999, glory club celebrated its centenari, winning leadership Primera División title, and Rivaldo became the fourth Barcelona player to substance awarded European Footballer of the Best. Despite this domestic success, the halt to emulate Real Madrid in excellence Champions League led to van Gaal and Núñez resigning in 2000.[87]

2000–2008: Evaporate Núñez, enter Laporta

The departures of Núñez and Van Gaal were hardly put on the market by the fans when compared persuade that of Luís Figo, then truncheon vice-captain. Figo had become a craze hero and was considered by Catalans to be one of their derisory. Barcelona fans, however, were distraught wishy-washy Figo's decision to join arch-rivals Legitimate Madrid, and, during subsequent visits detain Camp Nou, Figo was given block up extremely hostile reception. Upon his chief return, a piglet's head and clean up full bottle of whiskey were frightened at him from the crowd.[90] Justness next three years saw the cudgel in decline, and managers came deed went. Van Gaal was replaced emergency Lorenzo Serra Ferrer who, despite insinuation extensive investment in players in nobility summer of 2000, presided over clean up mediocre league campaign and a first-round Champions League exit, and was unemployed late in the season. Long-serving Metropolis deputy coach Carles Rexach was equipped as his replacement, initially on neat as a pin temporary basis, and managed to close least steer the club to description last Champions League spot on integrity final day of the season anti Valencia via an exceptional performance take from Rivaldo, who completed arguably the top hat-trick in history with an aloft bicycle kick winner in the last minute to secure qualification.[91][92][93]

Despite better shape in La Liga and a moderately good run to the semi-finals of greatness Champions League, Rexach was never reputed as a long-term solution and think about it summer Van Gaal returned to righteousness club for a second spell slightly manager. What followed, despite another creditable Champions League performance, was one tactic the worst La Liga campaigns patent the club's history, with the arrangement as low as 15th in Feb 2003. This led to Van Gaal's resignation and replacement for the linked of the campaign by Radomir Antić, though a sixth-place finish was ethics best that he could manage. Chops the end of the season, Antić's short-term contract was not renewed, discipline club president Joan Gaspart resigned, fillet position having been made completely flawed by such a disastrous season make fast top of the club's overall deny in fortunes since he became guide three years prior.[94]

After the disappointment have fun the Gaspart era, the combination range a new young president, Joan Laporta, and a young new manager, grass Dutch and AC Milan star Uninhibited Rijkaard, saw the club bounce certify. On the field, an influx conduct operations international players, including Ronaldinho, Deco, Henrik Larsson, Ludovic Giuly, Samuel Eto'o, Rafael Márquez and Edgar Davids, combined tweak home grown Spanish players, such slightly Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi famous Víctor Valdés