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'''Fútbol Club Barcelona''' ([[Catalan language|Catalan]] {{IPA2|fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə}}, Spanish {{IPA2|ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona}}), known familiarly as '''Barça''' (Spanish {{IPA2|ˈbaɾsa}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] {{IPA2|ˈbaɾsə}}), is a [[sports club]] based in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]. It is best known for its [[football (soccer)|football]] team, which was founded in 1899 by a group of [[Switzerland|Swiss]], [[England|English]], and [[Spanish people|Spanish]] men led by [[Joan Gamper]]. The club has become a [[Catalonia|Catalan]] institution, hence the motto ''Més que un club'' (More than a club).
'''Fútbol Club Barcelona''' ([[Catalan language|Catalan]] {{IPA2|fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə}}, Spanish {{IPA2|ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona}}), known familiarly as '''Barça''' (Spanish {{IPA2|ˈbaɾsa}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] {{IPA2|ˈbaɾsə}}), is a [[sports club]] based in [[Barcelona]], [[Spain]]. It is best known for its [[football (soccer)|football]] team, which was founded in 1899 by a group of [[Switzerland|Swiss]], [[England|English]], and [[Spanish people|Spanish]] men led by [[Joan Gamper]]. The club has become a [[Catalonia|Catalan]] institution, hence the motto ''Més que un club'' (More than a club).


They were founding members of [[La Liga]] in 1928, and, together with [[Real Madrid C.F.|Madrid]] and [[Athletic Bilbao]], they have never been relegated from the top division. The club were also the first [[La Liga]] champions, winning a total of 18 [[La Liga]], 24 [[Copa del Rey]], 7 [[Supercopa de España]], 2 [[UEFA Champions League]], 4 [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]], 3 [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]] and 2 [[European Super Cup]] trophies.
Barcelona is a turd. They were founding members of [[La Liga]] in 1928, and, together with [[Real Madrid C.F.|Madrid]] and [[Athletic Bilbao]], they have never been relegated from the top division. The club were also the first [[La Liga]] champions, winning a total of 18 [[La Liga]], 24 [[Copa del Rey]], 7 [[Supercopa de España]], 2 [[UEFA Champions League]], 4 [[UEFA Cup Winners' Cup]], 3 [[Inter-Cities Fairs Cup]] and 2 [[European Super Cup]] trophies.


The club's main stadium is the [[Camp Nou]] and the [[Supporters of FC Barcelona|fans of FC Barcelona]] are known as ''[[Supporters of FC Barcelona|culers]]'' or ''culés''. In Spain, about 25% of the population are said to be Barça supporters<ref>[http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/2700_2719/2705/Es2705mar_A.pdf Microsoft Word - Es2705mar_A.doc<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. In June 2007, the number of ''socis'' (club members/owners) reached 156,366, while in June 2006 the number of ''penyes'' (officially-registered supporter clubs) reached 1782 worldwide.
The club's main stadium is the [[Camp Nou]] and the [[Supporters of FC Barcelona|fans of FC Barcelona]] are known as ''[[Supporters of FC Barcelona|culers]]'' or ''culés''. In Spain, about 25% of the population are said to be Barça supporters<ref>[http://www.cis.es/cis/export/sites/default/-Archivos/Marginales/2700_2719/2705/Es2705mar_A.pdf Microsoft Word - Es2705mar_A.doc<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. In June 2007, the number of ''socis'' (club members/owners) reached 156,366, while in June 2006 the number of ''penyes'' (officially-registered supporter clubs) reached 1782 worldwide.

Revision as of 03:13, 2 November 2008

FC Barcelona
Fútbol Club Barcelona Crest
Full nameFútbol Club Barcelona
Nickname(s)Barça
Culés (The Butt's)
Blaugrana (Blue-Maroon)
Founded29 November 1899
(as Foot-Ball Club Barcelona)
GroundCamp Nou, Barcelona
Capacity98,772
ChairmanSpain Joan Laporta
ManagerSpain Josep Guardiola
LeagueLa Liga
2007-08La Liga, 3rd
Current season

Fútbol Club Barcelona (Catalan IPA: [fudˈbɔɫ ˌklup bəɾsəˈlonə], Spanish IPA: [ˈfutβol ˌkluβ baɾθeˈlona]), known familiarly as Barça (Spanish IPA: [ˈbaɾsa], Catalan IPA: [ˈbaɾsə]), is a sports club based in Barcelona, Spain. It is best known for its football team, which was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English, and Spanish men led by Joan Gamper. The club has become a Catalan institution, hence the motto Més que un club (More than a club).

Barcelona is a turd. They were founding members of La Liga in 1928, and, together with Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, they have never been relegated from the top division. The club were also the first La Liga champions, winning a total of 18 La Liga, 24 Copa del Rey, 7 Supercopa de España, 2 UEFA Champions League, 4 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and 2 European Super Cup trophies.

The club's main stadium is the Camp Nou and the fans of FC Barcelona are known as culers or culés. In Spain, about 25% of the population are said to be Barça supporters[1]. In June 2007, the number of socis (club members/owners) reached 156,366, while in June 2006 the number of penyes (officially-registered supporter clubs) reached 1782 worldwide.

The club also operates a reserve team, FC Barcelona Atlètic, and four other professional sports teams, Regal FC Barcelona, FC Barcelona, FC Barcelona Futsal and FC Barcelona Sorli Discau that compete at basketball, handball, futsal and rink hockey respectively. Until 2007 there was also a youth team, FC Barcelona C.

There are also a number of prominent amateur sports teams that compete at rugby union, women's football and wheelchair basketball. These include FCB Rugby and FC Barcelona-Institut Guttman. Other amateur teams represent the club at ice hockey, athletics, baseball, cycling, field hockey, figure skating, and volleyball.

During the 2006-07 season, FC Barcelona was the third richest club in the world with a revenue of €291.1 million.[2][3]

History

Early years (1899-1908)

The ad in Los Deportes

On 22 October 1899 Joan Gamper placed an advert in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club. A positive response resulted in a meeting at the Gimnasio Solé on November 29. Eleven players attended: Walter Wild, Lluís d'Ossó, Bartomeu Terradas, Otto Kunzle, Otto Maier, Enric Ducal, Pere Cabot, Carles Pujol, Josep Llobet, John Parsons and William Parsons. As a result Foot-Ball Club Barcelona was born. Several other Spanish football clubs, most notably Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, also had British founders, and as a result they initially adopted English-style names.

Legend has it that Gamper was inspired to choose the club colours, blaugrana, by FC Basel's crest. However, the other Swiss teams Gamper played for, his home canton of Zurich, and Merchant Taylors' School in Crosby, England have all been credited with or claimed to be the inspiration.[citation needed]

FC Barcelona quickly emerged as one of the leading clubs of both Catalonia and Spain, competing in both the Campeonato de Cataluña and the Copa del Rey. In 1902, the club won its first trophy, the Copa Macaya, and also played in the first Copa del Rey final, losing 2-1 to Club Vizcaya.

With Gamper's seal (1908-1923)

In 1908 Joan Gamper became club president for the first time. Gamper took over the presidency as the club was on the verge of folding. The club had not won anything since the Campeonato de Cataluña of 1905 and its finances suffered as a result. Gamper was subsequently club president on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925 and spent 25 years at the helm. One of his main achievements was to help Barça acquire its own stadium.

On March 14, 1909, it moved into the Carrer Indústria, a stadium with a capacity of 8,000. Gamper also launched a campaign to recruit more club members and by 1922 the club had over 10,000. This led to the club moving again, this time to Las Cortes, which inaugurated in the same year. This stadium had an initial capacity of 22,000, later expanded to an impressive 60,000.

Gamper also recruited Paulino Alcántara, the club's all time top-scorer with 356 goals, and in 1917 appointed Jack Greenwell as manager. This saw the club's fortunes begin to improve on the field. During the Gamper era FC Barcelona won eleven Campeonato de Cataluña, six Copa del Rey and four Coupe de Pyrenées and enjoyed its first "golden age." As well as Alcántara the Barça team under Greenwall also included Sagi-Barba, Ricardo Zamora, Josep Samitier, Félix Sesúmaga and Franz Platko.

Rivera, Republic and Civil War (1923-1939)

In the middle of the glorious 1920s, Barça suffered from non-sporting conflicts which were to mark the following decade. On 14 June 1925, the crowd at a game in homage to the Orfeó Català jeered the Royal March, a spontaneous reaction against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship. As a reprisal the ground closed, while Gamper forced to give up the presidency of the club. In 1928, the victory in Spanish Cup against Real Sociedad was celebrated with a poem titled “Oda a Platko”, which was written by the important member of the Generation of 27, Rafael Alberti, inspired by the heroic performance of the Barça keeper. On July 30 1930, the club's founder, after a period of depression brought on by personal and money problems committed suicide.

Although they continued to have players of the standing of Josep Escolà, the club now entered a period of decline, in which political conflict overshadowed sport throughout society. Barça faced a crisis on three fronts: financial, social, with the number of members dropping constantly, and sporting, where although the team won the Campionat de Catalunya in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936 and 1938, success at Spanish level (with the exception of the 1937 disputed title) evaded them.

A month after the civil war began, Barça's left-wing president Josep Sunyol was murdered by Francisco Franco's soldiers near to Guadalajara. In the summer of 1937, the squad was on a tour in Mexico and USA in which it was received as an ambassador of the fighting Second Spanish Republic. That travel proved the financial saving of the club and also resulted in half the team seeking exile in Mexico and France. On 16 March 1938, the fascists dropped a bomb on the club's social club and caused big damages. A few months later, Barcelona was under fascist occupation and as a symbol of the 'undisciplined' Catalanism, the club, now down to just 3,486 members, was facing a number of serious problems.

Club de Fútbol Barcelona (1939-1974)

After the Spanish Civil War, the Catalan language and flag were banned and football clubs were prohibited from using non-Spanish names. These measures led to the club having its name forcibly changed to Club de Fútbol Barcelona and the removal of the Catalan flag from the club shield. During the Franco dictatorship one of the few places that Catalan could be spoken freely was within the club's stadium.

In 1943, at Les Corts, for the first leg of the semi-finals of the Copa del Generalísimo against Real Madrid, the result was a 3-0 win for Barça. Before the second leg, Barcelona's players had a changing room visit from Franco's director of state security. He 'reminded' them that they were only playing due to the 'generosity of the regime'. Madrid side won that game 11-1.

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 César, Ramallets and Velasco, they won La Liga for first time since 1929. They added two more titles in 1948 and 1949. In 1949 they also won the first Copa Latina.

In 1951, a tram strike which took place in Barcelona, received the support of blaugrana fans surprising the Francoist authorities who could not understand why, on that rainy Sunday, the crowd left Les Corts stadium after a 2-1 win against Santander by foot refusing to catch any trams. Moments like these show how FC Barcelona represents much more than just Catalonia for so many progressive Spaniards.

In June 1950 Barcelona signed Ladislao Kubala. Kubala almost signed for Real Madrid but the decisive moment to change his mind was when he had married daughter of Ferdinand Dauchik, who was in contacts with Josep Samitiers then scaut of the club, so he chose Barcelona at the end. Coach Fernando Daucik and Ladislao Kubala, regarded by many as the club's best ever player, inspired the team to five different trophies including La Liga, the Copa del Generalísimo, the Copa Latina, the Copa Eva Duarte and the Copa Martini Rossi in 1952. In 1953 they helped the club win La Liga and the Copa del Generalísimo again. The club also won the Copa del Generalísimo in 1957 and the Fairs Cup in 1958.

With Helenio Herrera as coach, a young Luis Suárez, the European Footballer of the Year in 1960, and two influential Hungarians recommended by Kubala, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor, the team won another national double in 1959 and a La Liga/Fairs Cup double in 1960. In 1961 they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup eliminatory, thus ending their monopoly of the competition. To little avail, anyway- they lost 3-2 to Benfica in the final.

The 1960s were less successful for the club, with Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid monopolising La Liga. The completion of the Camp Nou, finished in 1957, meant the club had little money to spend on new players. However the decade also saw the emergence of Josep Fusté and Carles Rexach and the club winning the Copa del Generalísimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. Barça restored some pride by beating Real Madrid 1-0 in the 1968 Copa del Generalísimo final at the Bernabéu. The club changed its official name back to Futbol Club Barcelona in 1974.[4]

Cruyff's first pass (1974-1978)

The 1973/74 season saw the arrival, as player, of a new Barça legend – Johan Cruyff. Already an established player with Ajax, Cruyff quickly won over the Barça fans when he told the European press he chose Barça over Real Madrid because he could not play for a club associated with Franco.[5][6] He further endeared himself when he chose a Catalan name, Jordi, for his son. He helped the club win La Liga for the first time since 1960, along the way defeating Real Madrid 5-0 at the Bernabéu. He was also crowned European Footballer of the Year in his first year at the club.

The Núñez era (1978-2000)

Josep Lluís Núñez was elected president of FC Barcelona in 1978. His main objectives were to establish Barça as a world-class sports club and to give the club financial stability. Besides, in 1979 and 1982 the club won two of four European Cup Winners' Cups won in the Núñez era.

In June 1982 Diego Maradona was signed for a world record fee from Boca Juniors. In the following season, under coach César Luis Menotti, Barcelona and Maradona in an unforgettable final won the Copa del Rey, beating Real Madrid. However Diego's time with Barça was short-lived and he soon left for Napoli. At the start of the 1984/85 season, Terry Venables was hired as manager and he won La Liga with stellar 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 Bucureşti during a dramatic evening in Seville.

After the 1986 World Cup, English top scorer Gary Lineker was signed along with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta but the team could not achieve success while Schuster was excluded from the team. Terry Venables was subsequently fired at the beginning of the 1987/88 season and replaced with Luis Aragonés. That season finished with a rebellion of the players against president Núñez known as the Motín del Hesperia and the 1-0 victory at the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad.

In 1988 Johan Cruyff returned to the club as manager and assembled the so-called Dream Team, named after the US basketball team that played at the 1992 Summer Olympics hosted by Barcelona. He introduced players like Josep Guardiola, José Mari Bakero, Txiki Beguiristáin, Jon Andoni Goikoetxea, Gheorghe Hagi, Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup, Romário and Hristo Stoichkov.

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 legendary 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 España. With 11 trophies, Cruijff became the club's most successful manager to date. He also became the club's longest serving manager. However, in his final two seasons, he failed to win any trophies (not to mention the disastrous 4-0 defeat in the UEFA Champions League 1994 final against AC Milan) and fell out with president Núñez, resulting in Cruijff's departure.

Cruijff was briefly replaced by Bobby Robson who took charge of the club for a single season in 1996/97. He is quoted as saying, "Catalonia is a country and FC Barcelona is their army". He recruited Ronaldo from his previous club, PSV Eindhoven and delivered a cup treble winning the Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners Cup and the Supercopa de España. Despite his success, Robson was only ever seen as a short-term solution while the club waited for Louis van Gaal to become available.

Like Maradona, Ronaldo only stayed a short time and he left for Inter Milan. However, new heroes such as Luís Figo, Giovanni Silva de Oliveira, Luis Enrique Martínez and Rivaldo emerged and the team won a Copa del Rey/La Liga double in 1998. In 1999 the club celebrated its 'centenari' winning the Primera División title and Rivaldo became the fourth Barça player to be awarded European Footballer of the Year. Despite this domestic success, the failure to emulate Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League led to van Gaal and Núñez resigning in 2000.

Gaspart's decline period (2000-2003)

The departures of Núñez and Van Gaal were nothing compared to that of Luís Figo. As well as club vice-captain, Figo had become a cult hero and was considered by Catalans to be one of their own. So the Barça 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, including one occasion when a piglet's head was thrown at him from the crowd. The next three years saw the club in decline and managers came and went, including a short second spell by Louis van Gaal. President Gaspart did not inspire confidence off the field either and in 2003 he and Van Gaal resigned.

The Laporta era (2003-present)

Victorious Barça players collect their winners medals after beating Arsenal in the 2006 Champions League Final

After the disappointment of the Gaspart era, the combination of a new young president Joan Laporta and a young new manager, former Dutch and AC Milan star Frank Rijkaard, saw the club bounce back. On the field, an influx international players, including Ronaldinho, Deco, Samuel Eto'o, Rafael Márquez, Lionel Messi, combined with a nucleus of home grown and Spanish players such as Carles Puyol, Andrés Iniesta, Xavi and Víctor Valdés led to the club's return to success.

Barça won La Liga and the Supercopa de España in 2004–05, and stars Ronaldinho and Eto'o were voted first and third in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards.

In 2005–06 Barcelona repeated their league and Supercup successes. The pinnacle of the league season arrived at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in a 3–0 victory over Real Madrid, Frank Rijkaard's second victory at the Bernabeu, making him the first Barça manager to win there twice. Ronaldinho's performance was so impressive that after his second, and Barça's third goal the Real Madrid fans felt compelled to applaud him. In the Champions' League Barça beat English club Arsenal 2–1 in the final. Trailing 1-0 with less than 15 minutes left they came back to win 2-1 for the club's first European Cup victory in 14 years.

Despite being the favourites and starting strongly, Barcelona finished the 2006-07 season trophyless. 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.[citation needed] There was open feuding as Eto'o publicly criticized coach Frank Rijkaard and Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho also admitted that lack of fitness affected his form.[7] In La Liga Barça were in first place for much of the season, but inconsistency in the New Year saw Real Madrid overtake them to become champions. Barça advanced to the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey, winning the first leg against Getafe 5-2, with a goal from Messi bringing comparison to Maradona, but then lost the second leg 4-0. They took part in the FIFA Club World Cup 2006, but were beaten in the final by a late goal against Internacional. In the Champions League Barça were knocked out of the competition in the last 16 by eventual runners-up Liverpool on away goals.

2007/08 season

In the 2007-08 season, Barcelona again struggled, and weren't even able to finish in the top two of the Primera División. The season was marred with injuries to key players such as Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Leo Messi, and Yaya Touré. Despite a lack of league form, the team fared well in the cup competitions. Benefitting from favourable draws in the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona ousted less-fancied teams such as Rangers FC, Celtic FC and Schalke 04, before losing to eventual champions Manchester United 1-0 on aggregate in the semi-finals. Barcelona also managed to get to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, where they once again lost to the eventual champions (Valencia CF).

A day after a 4-1 drubbing at the hands of arch-rivals Real Madrid, Laporta announced that Barça B coach Josep Guardiola would take over Frank Rijkaard's duties after June 30. It marked the end of an era for the club, and high-profile departures of key players were expected in the summer.

2008/09 season - Enter Guardiola

The 2008/09 pre-season started with a boardroom crisis, as Joan Laporta fought to keep his presidency. Following two years without major trophies, some club members initiated a no confidence motion on Laporta. With the help of Club Director of Football Txiki Begiristain, Joan Laporta acted swiftly and effectively. Having installed crowd favourite and hometown boy Pep Guardiola as the coach, the club declared the start of the long-expected clear out and rebirth of the team for the 2008-09 season. Players such as Gianluca Zambrotta, Deco, Giovani dos Santos and Ronaldinho left the squad. In came Seydou Keita (Sevilla FC), Gerard Piqué (Manchester United), Martín Cáceres (Villarreal CF), Daniel Alves (Sevilla FC) and Aliaksandr Hleb (Arsenal FC). Samuel Eto'o was expected to leave after falling out of favour with the fans and the staff; but strong showings by him in pre-season reminded the coach and the board why he had the best goals to games ratio in La Liga the previous season, and sense prevailed as the decision was made to retain the Cameroonian, whilst Eto'o won the fans back, as they chanted his name at every home game. Laporta's choices for the new personnel seemed to be popular enough to abate the critics, and possibly ensure he retained his position as President of the Club. The No Confidence Motion did indeed narrowly fail, receiving 60% of the votes cast, just short of the 66% required. Laporta vowed to continue, although eight of his directors resigned.

On the sporting side, Guardiola's first months in charge saw the team string together an impressive set of friendly wins. The season kicked off with the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round against Wisła Kraków. Barcelona carried their pre-season form into the first leg at home, and comfortably won the match 4-0. And despite losing the return leg in Poland 0-1, the team had done enough to accomplish the first objective of the season: qualification to the Champions League Group Stage. Having lost and drawn their first two La Liga matches, Barcelona have hit back strongly with wins over Sporting Gijon by 6-1, and over Real Betis 3-2. Barcelona also won their opening Champions League pool game 3-1 over Sporting Lisbon. Barça were also able to come from behind to beat their hated city rivals, Espanyol, thanks to a goal by Thierry Henry and a very late penalty scored by Lionel Messi after Espanyol player Coro put the home side ahead, amongst lots of crowd trouble. In their second Champions League game, Barcelona came from a goal down for the second time in 3 days, to win thanks to 2 very late goals by Messi in a 2-1 comeback win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Ukraine. Barcelona currently hold a strong and impressive 6 game winning streak after thrashing Atlético Madrid 6-1. Though, through all the ecstasy, there are still worries about the goalkeeper's position, as Barça's current first-choice goalkeeper, Víctor Valdés has only one clean sheet in a competitive game. But the Catalan club said they are sticking with Valdés, and are fully confident in him, despite some of the media in Spain and many of their world-wide fans calling for a new goalkeeper. Barça also set a new UEFA Champions League record with the largest win as an away team against FC Basel with again a thrashing 0-5 win.

Rivalries

El Clásico

Template:Details2 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 FC Barcelona and Real Madrid CF is known as El Clásico. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival countries in Spain, Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities themselves. The rivalry projects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians.

During the dictatorships of Primo de Rivera and (especially) of Francisco Franco (1939 - 1975), all regional identities were openly suppressed (e.g., the peripheral languages were officially banned). So FC Barcelona, symbolising the Catalan people's desire for freedom, became more than a club (més que un club) for them and one of their greatest ambassadors. On the contrary, Real Madrid was widely seen as the embodiment of the sovereign oppressive centralism and the fascist regime.[8] However, during the Spanish Civil War itself, members of both clubs like Josep Sunyol and Rafael Sánchez Guerra suffered at the hands of Franco supporters.

During the 1950s the rivalry was exacerbated significantly when the clubs disputed the signing of Alfredo Di Stéfano, who finally played for Real Madrid and was key in the subsequent success achieved by the club. The 1960s saw the rivalry reach the European stage when they met twice at the knock-out stages of the European Cup.

As nowadays FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are the two biggest and most successful clubs in the league, the rivalry is renewed on an almost annual basis with both teams often challenging each other for the league championship. The latest Clásico was played in the Santiago Bernabéu and ended with a 4-1 win for Real Madrid.

El Derbi Barceloní

Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol was founded exclusively by Spanish fans of the game, unlike the multinational nature of FC Barcelona's original board. The club's historical ground was in the well-off district of Sarrià.

Traditionally, especially during the Franco regime, Espanyol were seen by the majority of Barcelona's citizens as a club who cultivated a kind of compliance to the central authority unlike FC Barcelona. Despite this background the derbi has always been much more relevant to Espanyol supporters than Barcelona ones due to the difference in objectives.

Although it is the most played local derby in the history of La Liga it is also the least balanced of them all, with Barcelona being overwhelmingly dominating. In the league table Espanyol have only managed to end above FC Barcelona on three occasions in almost seventy years and even the only all-Catalan Copa del Rey Final in 1957 was won by FC Barcelona. Espanyol only has the consolation of achieving the largest margin win with a 6-0 in 1951.

Sponsorship

FC Barcelona have an attitude to shirt sponsorship that is historically noteworthy. Selectively without a commercial message on its shirts, in a similar fashion to Athletic Bilbao, on 14 July 2006 the club announced a five year agreement with UNICEF, which includes having the UNICEF logo on their shirts. The agreement will see FC Barcelona donating US$1.9 million per year to UNICEF (0.7 per cent of its ordinary income) to the FC Barcelona Foundation, and rejecting significant money offers to be the first shirt sponsor of the football team. Similarly, for the 2008/9 season and onwards, Aston Villa have a similar deal with Acorns Children's Hospice, involving charitable promotion.

The club has done this in order to set up international cooperation programmes for development, supports the UN Millennium Development Goals and has made a commitment to UNICEF’s humanitarian aid programs through the donation of one and a half million euro for the next five years.

Companies that FC Barcelona currently has sponsorship deals with include [9]:

Shirt sponsors and manufacturers

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1982–1992 Meyba none
1992–1998 Kappa
1998-2006 Nike
2006-present Unicef

Stadium Information

Camp Nou stadium
  • Name - Camp Nou
  • City - Barcelona
  • Capacity - 98,772
  • Inauguration - 1957
  • Pitch size - 105 × 68 m
  • Other Facilities:
    • Ciudad Deportiva Joan Gamper (FC Barcelona's training ground)
    • La Masia (Residence of young players)
    • Mini Estadi
    • Palau Blaugrana (FC Barcelona indoor sports arena)
    • Palau Blaugrana 2 (Secondary indoor arena of FC Barcelona)
    • Palau de Gel

Honours

Domestic competitions

Barcelona fans celebrating the team's victory in the UEFA Champions League 2005-06

La Liga

Copa del Rey (record)

  • Winners (24): 1910, 1912, 1913, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1926, 1928, 1942, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1957, 1959, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1988, 1990, 1997, 1998
  • Runners-up (9): 1902, 1919, 1932, 1936, 1954, 1974, 1984, 1986, 1996

Supercopa de España

Copa de la Liga (record)

International competitions

UEFA Champions League

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (record)

European Super Cup

Other International Trophies

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (record)

Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Trophy Play-Off

Latin Cup (record)

  • Winners (2): 1949, 1952

Small World Cup

  • Winners (1): 1957

References: Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). [10]

Statistics and records

Migueli presently holds both records for number of total and Liga appearances for Barcelona with a total of 548 games played in total, and 391 in La Liga. Most recently Xavi Hernandez, vice-captain of the club reached 432 games for the club.

Barcelona's all time top goalscorer is a Spaniard, César Rodríguez who, has scored 235 goals in all official matches. Ladislao Kubala is in second place with 196 goals for the club. The highest scoring present squad member is Samuel Eto'o who has scored 106 goals.

Recent seasons

Season Div. Pos. Pl. W D L GS GA P Cup Europe Other Competitions Manager
1998–99 D1 1 38 24 7 7 87 43 79 quarter-final UCL group stage SSC Louis van Gaal
1999–00 D1 2 38 19 7 12 70 46 64 semi-final UCL semi-final SSC Louis van Gaal
2000–01 D1 4 38 17 12 9 80 57 63 semi-final UC1 semi-final Llorenç Serra Ferrer
2001–02 D1 4 38 18 10 10 65 37 64 1st round UCL semi-final Carles Rexach
2002–03 D1 6 38 15 11 12 63 47 56 1st round UCL quarter-final Rexach, v. Gaal & R. Antić
2003–04 D1 2 38 21 9 8 63 39 72 quarter-final UC 4th round Frank Rijkaard
2004–05 D1 1 38 25 9 4 73 29 84 2nd round UCL last 16 Frank Rijkaard
2005–06 D1 1 38 25 7 6 80 35 82 quarter-final UCL winner SSC Frank Rijkaard
2006–07 D1 2 38 22 10 6 78 33 76 semi-final UCL last 16 SSC ESC CWC Frank Rijkaard
2007–08 D1 3 38 19 10 9 76 43 67 semi-final UCL semi-final Frank Rijkaard
2008–09 D1 UCL Josep Guardiola

Last updated: 20 May 2008
1 FC Barcelona started 2000-01 season in UCL but joined UC after group stage.
Div. = Division;D1 = First Division; Pos. = Position; Pl = Match played; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Lost; GS = Goal Scored; GA = Goal Against; P = Points
UCL = UEFA Champions League; UCWC = UEFA Cup Winners' Cup; UC = UEFA Cup; ESC = UEFA Super Cup; SSC = Supercopa de España; CWC = FIFA Club World Cup; Cup = Copa del Rey
Colors: Gold = winner; Silver = runner-up; Cyan = ongoing

Players

As of 10 August 2008.[11][12][13]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Spain ESP Víctor Valdés (2º vice-captain)
2 DF Uruguay URU Martín Cáceres
3 DF Spain ESP Gerard Piqué
4 DF Mexico MEX Rafael Márquez
5 DF Spain ESP Carles Puyol (Captain)
6 MF Spain ESP Xavi (1º vice-captain)
7 MF Iceland ISL Eiður Guðjohnsen
8 MF Spain ESP Andrés Iniesta (3º vice-captain)
9 FW Cameroon CMR Samuel Eto'o
10 FW Argentina ARG Lionel Messi
11 FW Spain ESP Bojan Krkić
13 GK Spain ESP José Manuel Pinto
No. Pos. Nation Player
14 FW France FRA Thierry Henry
15 MF Mali MLI Seydou Keita
16 DF Brazil BRA Sylvinho
18 DF Argentina ARG Gabriel Milito
20 DF Brazil BRA Daniel Alves
21 MF Belarus BLR Aliaksandr Hleb
22 DF France FRA Éric Abidal
24 MF Ivory Coast CIV Yaya Touré
25 GK Spain ESP Albert Jorquera
27 FW Spain ESP Pedro Rodríguez
28 MF Spain ESP Sergio Busquets
29 MF Spain ESP Víctor Sánchez

From the Youth system

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
26 GK Spain ESP Oier Olazábal
30 FW Spain ESP Víctor Vázquez
31 FW Spain ESP Jeffrén Suárez
32 GK Spain ESP Rubén Miño
No. Pos. Nation Player
33 DF Spain ESP David Córcoles
34 MF Spain ESP Xavi Torres
35 MF Spain ESP Abraham González
36 FW Spain ESP Nolito

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
–– DF Brazil BRA Henrique (at Bayer Leverkusen)

Personnel

Current Technical Staff

Position Name
Manager Josep Guardiola
Assistant Coach Tito Vilanova
Goalkeeping Coach Juan Carlos Unzué
Physical fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura
Director of Football Txiki Begiristain
Academy Director José Ramón Alexanko
Head Coach Reserve Team Luis Enrique

Current Board of Directors

Office Name
President Joan Laporta i Estruch
Vice-president, head of social area and spokesperson Alfons Godall i Martínez
Vice president for marketing and media Jaume Ferrer i Graupera
Vice president for finance and treasurer Joan Boix i Sans
Vice president institutional and assets administration Joan Franquesa i Cabanas
Vice president for sports Rafael Yuste i Abel
Secretary Josep Cubells i Ribé

Former personnel

Selected former presidents

Joan Laporta

see also Category:FC Barcelona presidents

Name Years
England Walter Wild 1899-1901
Spain Bartomeu Terradas 1901-02
Germany Paul Haas 1902-03
England Arthur Witty 1903-05
Spain Josep Soler 1905-06
Spain Juli Marial 1906-08
Spain Vicenç Reig 1908
Switzerland Joan Gamper 1908-09, 1910-13, 1917-19, 1921-23, 1924-25
Germany Otto Gmeling 1909-10
Spain Àlvar Presta 1914
Spain Joaquim Peris de Vargas 1914-15
Spain Rafael Llopart 1915-16
Spain Gaspar Rosés 1916-17, 1920-21, 1930-31
Spain Ricard Graells 1919-20
Spain Eric Cardona 1923-24
Spain Arcadi Balaguer 1925-29
Spain Tomás Rosés 1929-30
Spain Antoni Oliver 1931
Spain Joan Coma 1931-34
Spain Esteve Sala 1934-35
Spain Josep Sunyol 1935-36
Managing Commission[14] 1936-39
Spain Joan Soler 1939-40
Spain Enrique Piñeyro 1940-42, 1942-43
Spain Josep Vidal-Ribas 1942
Spain Josep Antoni Albert 1943
Spain Josep Vendrell 1943-46
Spain Agustí Montal Galobart 1946-52
Spain Agustí Montal Galobart 1946-52
Spain Enric Martí Carreto 1952-53
Spain Francesc Miró-Sans 1953-61
Spain Enric Llaudet 1961-68
Spain Narcís de Carreras 1968-69
Spain Agustí Montal 1969-77
Spain Josep Lluís Núñez 1978-2000
Spain Joan Gaspart 2000-2003
Spain Enric Reyna i Martínez 2003
Spain Joan Trayter (Managing Commission)[15] 2003
Spain Joan Laporta 2003-2006
Spain Xavier Sala-i-Martin (Managing Commission)[16] 2006
Spain Joan Laporta 2006-Present

Notable managers

see also Category:FC Barcelona managers

The following managers have all won at least one trophy when in charge or have been notable for Barça in the context of the League, for example Johan Cruijff who holds a League record.

Name Nationality Period Honours
From To
Jack Greenwell  England 1917 1924 2 Spanish Cups
Jesza Poszony  Hungary 1924 1925 Spanish Cup
Ralph Kirby  England 1925 1926 Spanish Cup
Romà Forns  Spain 1927 1929 Spanish league
Joan Josep Nogués  Spain July 1941 June 1944 Spanish Cup
Josep Samitier  Spain July 1944 June 1947 Spanish league
Enrique Fernández  Uruguay July 1947 June 1950 2 Spanish league, Latin Cup
Fernando Daucik  Slovakia July 1950 June 1954 2 Spanish league, 3 Spanish Cups, Latin Cup
Domingo Balmanya  Spain July 1956 April 1958 Spanish Cup, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Helenio Herrera  Argentina April 1958 June 1960 2 Spanish league, Spanish Cup, 2 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Josep Gonzalvo  Spain January 1963 June 1963 Spanish Cup
Roque Olsen  Argentina July 1965 June 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Salvador Artigas  Spain July 1967 October 1969 Spanish Cup
Vic Buckingham  England December 1969 June 1971 Spanish Cup
Rinus Michels  Netherlands July 1971 June 1975 Spanish league, Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Trophy Play-Off
Rinus Michels  Netherlands July 1978 June 1979 Spanish Cup
Joaquim Rifé  Spain April 1979 March 1980 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Helenio Herrera  Argentina March 1980 June 1981 Spanish Cup
Udo Lattek  Germany July 1981 February 1983 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, league Cup, Spanish Cup
César Luis Menotti  Argentina March 1983 July 1984 Spanish Supercup
Terry Venables  England July 1984 September 1987 Spanish league, league Cup
Luis Aragonés  Spain September 1987 June 1988 Spanish Cup
Johan Cruijff  Netherlands July 1988 May 1996 4 Spanish league, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, European Cup, European Super Cup, Spanish Cup, 3 Spanish Supercups
Sir Bobby Robson  England July 1996 June 1997 Spanish Cup, Spanish Supercup, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup
Louis van Gaal  Netherlands November 1997 February 2000 2 Spanish league , Spanish Cup, European Super Cup
Frank Rijkaard  Netherlands July 2003 June 2008 UEFA Champions League, 2 Spanish league, 2 Spanish Supercups

Selected former players

Template:Famous players

1899 - 1940s

1950s - 1960s

 

1970s

1980s

 

1990s

 

2000s

World Cup winners

Two players have won the FIFA World Cup whilst F.C. Barcelona players:

European Championship winners

Six players have won the European Championship whilst at F.C. Barcelona, all with Spain:

See also

Sources

  • Morbo: The Story of Spanish Football (2003), Phil Ball.
  • Barça: A People’s Passion (1998), Jimmy Burns.

References

  1. ^ Microsoft Word - Es2705mar_A.doc
  2. ^ A 19.5 million euro profit
  3. ^ Budget set at 315 million
  4. ^ "FC Barcelona - European football clubs & squads". Retrieved 2008-07-12.
  5. ^ Johan Cruyff - Profile and career History
  6. ^ FC Barcelona - Club History
  7. ^ "Article not found". Retrieved 2008-07-12. {{cite web}}: Text "AHN" ignored (help); Text "July 12, 2008" ignored (help)
  8. ^ FC Barcelona - more than just a football club
  9. ^ "Official Sponsors". FBbarcelona.cat. 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-14.
  10. ^ European club facts: FC Barcelona; uefa.com
  11. ^ "Los nuevos dorsales" (in Spanish). FC Barcelona. 2008-08-03. Retrieved 2008-08-03. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Players". FC Barcelona. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  13. ^ "Henrique goes from Barça to Bayer Leverkusen". FC Barcelona. 2008-07-23. Retrieved 2008-07-23. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Managing Commission (1936-1939)
  15. ^ Interim administrative committee
  16. ^ Interim administrative committee
News sites

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