Més que un club

Lore & Background

Barcelona are one of the world's most decorated clubs. Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 82 trophies: 27 La Liga, 31 Copa del Rey, 2 Copa de la Liga, 14 Supercopa de España and 2 Copa Eva Duarte titles, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barça has won 22 European and worldwide titles: five UEFA Champions League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, a joint record two Latin Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups. Barcelona was ranked first in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics Club World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015, and occupies the ninth position on the UEFA club rankings as of May 2023. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid, and matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clásico.

In Their Own Story

The rain hammered against the concrete stands of the old Camp Nou, turning the air thick with the scent of wet earth and anticipation. Inside, a grandfather in a faded blue and red scarf sat beside his grandson, pointing not at the players warming up, but at the flag draped over the stands. "Do you see that?" the old man whispered, his voice barely audible over the murmur of fifty thousand souls. "Before they score, before they win trophies, we are here for this."

The boy looked confused, then nodded slowly as the Catalan anthem began to rise from the crowd, a swelling wave of sound that seemed to shake the very foundations of the stadium. In that moment, the game didn't matter yet; only the unity did. The scarves waved in unison, a sea of stripes binding strangers together, proving that on this pitch, they were something far greater than just fans.

Reader's Guide

Barcelona is one of three founding members of the Primera División that have never been relegated from the top division since its inception in 1929, 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 UEFA Champions League titles, and also became the first European football club to win six competitions in a single year. In 2011, the club became European champions again, winning five trophies. This Barcelona team, which won fourteen trophies in just four years under manager Pep Guardiola, is considered by some in the sport to be the greatest of all time. By winning their fifth Champions League trophy in 2015 under Luis Enrique, Barcelona became the first European football club in history to achieve the continental treble twice.

Did You Know?

• Barcelona players have won a joint record twelve Ballon d'Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record six FIFA World Player of the Year awards, with winners including Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo,
• In 2010, three players who came through the club's youth academy—Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi—were chosen as the three best players in the world in the Ballon d'Or ranking, an unprecedented feat for players from
• The club's first-ever piece of silverware was the Copa Macaya in 1902.
• The club's first full-time coach was Jack Greenwell, hired in 1917.