153-482: La Masia de Can Planes , usually shortened to La Masia ( Catalan pronunciation: [lə məˈzi.ə] ; English: "The Farmhouse" ), is FC Barcelona 's youth academy . It includes more than 300 young players and has been an instrumental factor in Barcelona's European success, and produces several world class players. It is widely considered to be one of the best academies in the world. In 2010 , La Masia became
306-460: A metodista ("centre-half", in Italian football jargon), due to his ability to dictate play in midfield as well as assist his team defensively. Guardiola was capable of being an offensive threat, due to his ability to make attacking runs or strike accurately from distance; he was also effective at creating chances or shooting on goal from set-pieces. Having served as captain of both Barcelona and
459-417: A 4–3–3 formation , which is the same formation employed by the first team. "The player who has passed through La Masia has something different to the rest, it's a plus that only comes from having competed in a Barcelona shirt from the time you were a child." Former technical director Pep Segura attributes the club's success to its "philosophy of play": "It is about creating one philosophy, one mentality, from
612-517: A club like Barcelona felt like an eternity. Guardiola continued to lead Barcelona to wins in the remaining La Liga games of the season , followed by a 3–0 win in the Copa del Rey final . His record of 14 trophies in four seasons has made him the most successful manager in Barcelona's history . Barcelona announced that he would be succeeded by Tito Vilanova , who would begin leading the first team at
765-560: A decision to return to coaching but beyond that no decision has been taken. I don't have a team to go to but I would like to go back to coaching." On 16 January 2013, it was announced that Guardiola would take over as manager of Bundesliga club Bayern Munich after the 2012–13 season , replacing Jupp Heynckes for the following season . He addressed his first press conference at Bayern, on 24 June 2013, in German, and had his first training session two days later. His first official match
918-499: A dramatic evening in Seville . Around this time, tensions began to arise between what was perceived as president Núñez's dictatorial rule and the nationalistic support group, Boixos Nois . The group, identified with a left-wing separatism, repeatedly demanded the resignation of Núñez and openly defied him through chants and banners at matches. At the same time, Barcelona experienced an eruption in skinheads , who often identified with
1071-415: A final watched by more than 30,000 travelling blaugrana fans. The same year, Núñez began to invest in the club's youth programme by converting La Masia into a dormitory for young academy players from abroad. The name of the dormitory would later become synonymous with the youth programme of Barcelona. In June 1982, Diego Maradona was signed for a world record fee of £5 million from Boca Juniors . In
1224-635: 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 España 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. Cruyff's fortune was to change, and, in his final two seasons, he failed to win any trophies and fell out with president Josep Lluís Núñez, resulting in his departure. Reacting to Cruyff's departure, an independent protest group
1377-477: A goal from Messi bringing comparison to Diego Maradona's goal of the century , but then lost the second leg 4–0. They took part in the 2006 FIFA Club World Cup , but were beaten by a late goal in the final against Brazilian side Internacional . 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
1530-410: A manager. On 21 April, Guardiola conceded the league title to leaders Real Madrid after they beat Barcelona 2–1 and extended their lead in the table to seven points with four matches remaining. On 24 April, a 2–2 draw at home against Chelsea in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final knocked Barcelona out of the competition on a 2–3 aggregate score. That effectively left the team with only
1683-404: A new contract with Barcelona that extended his stay until 2001. Guardiola returned to action the following season and Barcelona once again won La Liga . On 8 June 1998, Guardiola underwent surgery to try to resolve his lingering calf injury, which had caused him to miss the 1998 FIFA World Cup for Spain. A largely disappointing 1999–2000 season again ended in surgery, with Guardiola missing
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#17327840269581836-429: 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 of international players, including Ronaldinho , Deco , Henrik Larsson , Ludovic Giuly , Samuel Eto'o , Rafael Márquez and Edgar Davids , combined with home grown Spanish players, such as Carles Puyol , Andrés Iniesta , Xavi and Víctor Valdés , led to
1989-525: A one-year deal extension, signing a contract until June 2012. On 11 May 2011, Barcelona won the La Liga title and the club's third in a row after a 1–1 draw with Levante . On 28 May, Barcelona beat Manchester United 3–1 at Wembley in the 2011 Champions League final . The season started with a 5–4 aggregate win over Real Madrid for the Supercopa de España . Barcelona won their second trophy of
2142-512: 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. 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. Although they continued to have players of
2295-488: A possible 15 in his three years at the helm of the club, becoming the all-time record holder of most titles won as a coach at Barcelona. In December, Barcelona won the Club World Cup for a record second time since its establishment, after defeating 2011 Copa Libertadores holders Santos 4–0 in the final thanks to two goals from Messi and goals from Xavi and Fàbregas. As a result, the overall trophy haul during
2448-540: A record six FIFA World Player of the 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 as the three best players in the world in the Ballon d'Or ranking, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football academy. Additionally, players representing
2601-571: A record) of total votes. Rosell signed David Villa from Valencia for €40 million and Javier Mascherano from Liverpool for €19 million. At the 2010 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 whom were Barcelona players who started
2754-574: 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 Núñez's presidency. Inspired by British hooligans, the remaining Boixos Nois became violent, causing havoc leading to large-scale arrests. After the 1986 FIFA World Cup , Barcelona signed the English top scorer Gary Lineker , along with goalkeeper Andoni Zubizarreta , but
2907-543: A shoot-out to Wolfsburg in the German Super Cup. In the league, Bayern won their first ten matches. The first time they dropped points in the league was on 30 October 2015 in a 0–0 scoreline against Eintracht Frankfurt and their first loss in the league was on 5 December 2015 in a 3–1 scoreline to Borussia Mönchengladbach. In the Champions League group stage, Bayern won Group F, winning five out of
3060-419: A single year: Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi . Spain won the 2010 FIFA World Cup with seven players from Barcelona in a World Cup final. Joachim Löw , coach of Germany , said after his side's defeat by Spain that the opposition had a distinct Barcelona style: "You can see it in every pass, how Spain plays is how Barcelona plays. They can hardly be beaten. They are extremely confident and very calm in
3213-465: A sixth-place finish was the best that he could manage. At the end of the season, Antić'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. After the disappointment of the Gaspart era, the combination of
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#17327840269583366-522: A talent school was ascribed by Ian Hawkey of The Times to the class of 1987, which featured prominent members such as Cesc Fàbregas , Lionel Messi , Gerard Piqué and Pedro . In 2000, Louis van Gaal , coach of Barcelona's first team, was widely ridiculed by the city sports media for his dream to win the Champions League with 11 home-grown players. The first team won the trophy in 2009 with eight home-grown players. From 1979 to 2009, 440 youngsters have left their homes and families to stay at
3519-400: A temporary basis, and managed to at least steer the club to the last Champions League spot on the final day of the season against Valencia via an exceptional performance from Rivaldo , who completed arguably the greatest hat-trick in history with an overhead bicycle kick winner in the final minute to secure qualification. Despite better form in La Liga and a good run to the semi-finals of
3672-584: A treble. In December 2009, Barcelona won the 2009 Club World Cup . Barcelona accomplished two new records in Spanish football in 2010 as they retained the La Liga trophy with 99 points and won the Supercopa de España for a ninth time. 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,
3825-573: A world record transfer fee from his previous club, PSV and delivered a cup treble , winning the Copa del Rey, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and the Supercopa de España, with Ronaldo registering 47 goals in 49 games. 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 before he left for Inter Milan in another world record transfer. However, new heroes emerged, such as Luís Figo , Patrick Kluivert , Luis Enrique and Rivaldo , and
3978-500: 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 Núñez held to a strict policy regarding wages and discipline, letting go of such players as Diego Maradona , Romário and Ronaldo rather than meeting their demands. On 16 May 1979, the club won its first European Cup Winners' Cup by beating Fortuna Düsseldorf 4–3 in Basel in
4131-436: Is a large focus on technical ability, which is seen as a pre-requisite for inter-changes. An often-quoted reason for Barcelona's success is the continuity and commitment with which Barcelona follow the current philosophy of pass and move. Guardiola was the prototype of the pivotal midfielder; famous midfielders Xavi and Iniesta are its custodians. Another aspect of La Masia is its marked Catalan national character—local talent in
4284-458: Is a list of players who have played at least 40 league matches with the first team. FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona ( Catalan pronunciation: [fubˈbɔl ˈklub bəɾsəˈlonə] ), commonly known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça ( [ˈbaɾsə] ), is a professional football club based in Barcelona , Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga ,
4437-540: Is one of the most expensive in Europe, operating at a cost of £5 million a year. The main cost is the dormitory, La Masia itself. The minimum age requirement is six years old; each year, more than 1,000 boys from the ages of six to eight try out for admission. The best 200 are selected. The club also actively seeks for prospective students; it employs a system in which 15 scouts are deployed in Catalonia, 15 in
4590-546: Is the manager of Premier League club Manchester City . Guardiola is the only manager to win the continental treble twice, and he holds the record for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga , the Bundesliga and the Premier League. He is considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time. Guardiola was a defensive midfielder who usually played in a deep-lying playmaker 's role. He spent
4743-589: The Copa del Rey . In 1901, the club participated in the first football competition played 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, and then participated in the first Copa del Rey , losing 1–2 to Bizcaya (a combination of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao FC ) in
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4896-506: The 1994 UEFA Champions League final , but were beaten 4–0 by Fabio Capello 's AC Milan side in Athens . Cruyff left in 1996, with Barcelona finishing fourth in the 1994–95 season and third in the 1995–96 season , but Guardiola retained his position at the centre of Barcelona's midfield. In the 1996–97 season , Barcelona, this time led by Bobby Robson , won three cups: the Copa del Rey ,
5049-529: The 2007–08 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 4–1 defeat to Real Madrid, Joan Laporta announced that Barcelona B coach Pep Guardiola would take over Frank Rijkaard's duties on 30 June 2008. Barcelona B youth manager Pep Guardiola took over Frank Rijkaard's duties at
5202-494: The 2017–18 EFL Cup after beating Arsenal 3–0 in the final , which was Guardiola's first trophy with the club. On 15 April, City were confirmed as 2017–18 Premier League champions following Manchester United's 1–0 home defeat to West Bromwich Albion . After finishing the league season with a record-breaking 100 points, Guardiola signed a new contract with City until 2021. During Guardiola's third season as manager, Manchester City signed Riyad Mahrez from Leicester City for
5355-485: The Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper took over the function of the residential centre for the players. La Masia de Can Planes was an old Catalan farmhouse, built in 1702. In 1979, it was first used by the club to house its young footballers who originated from outside Barcelona. The idea for the youth academy was proposed to Josep Lluís Núñez by Jaume Amat Murtra and Oriol Tort was put in charge of
5508-399: The Copa del Rey to play for. Guardiola had faced criticism over his recent tactics and squad selections. On 27 April 2012, he announced he would step down as Barcelona's manager at the end of the 2011–12 season . He had been on a rolling contract that was renewed annually during his tenure as manager. Citing tiredness as the main reason for his decision, he also commented that four years at
5661-477: 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 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 2–3 to Benfica in the final. The 1960s were less successful for
5814-543: The Gimnasio Solé on 29 November. Eleven players attended – Walter Wild (the first president of the club), Luis de Ossó , 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. FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and
5967-492: The Italian Air Force , causing more than 3,000 deaths, with one of the bombs hitting the club's offices. 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
6120-694: The Olympiastadion in Berlin. With seven matches remaining in the season, it was the earliest the championship had been won in Bundesliga history, breaking the record Heynckes' Bayern had set in the previous season. Guardiola broke Karl-Heinz Feldkamp 's record for the longest winning streak to start his tenure at a Bundesliga club. The streak ended at 28 when Augsburg defeated Bayern 1–0 on matchday 29. The streak also ended Bayern's 53–match undefeated streak. Bayern were drawn against Real Madrid in
6273-468: The Premier League season , as City defeated Sunderland 2–1. On 11 September, Guardiola won his first Manchester derby as a manager in a 2–1 City victory at Old Trafford ; this was also his sixth win against his "rival" manager José Mourinho. City were leaders going into the international break, but their form declined thereafter. Manchester City lost to Everton 0–4 on 15 January 2017; this
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6426-605: The Qatar Stars League . In 2005–06, he turned down offers from a number of European clubs, as he felt his playing career was coming to a close. In 2006, Juan Manuel Lillo was appointed the manager of Mexican club Dorados . Lillo recruited Guardiola to play for the club while he was in managing school in Axocopán, Atlixco , Puebla . Guardiola played with Dorados for six months, but was limited to ten appearances due to injuries, before retiring. He scored one goal for
6579-529: The Santiago Bernabéu in front of dictator Francisco 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. The 1973–74 season saw the arrival of Johan Cruyff , who
6732-466: The Spanish national team and appeared at the 1994 FIFA World Cup , as well as at UEFA Euro 2000 . He also played friendly matches for Catalonia . After retiring as a player, Guardiola briefly managed Barcelona B , with whom he won a Tercera División title. He took charge of the first team in 2008. In his first season , he led Barcelona to the continental treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and
6885-537: The Supercopa de España , and the European Cup Winners' Cup . In 1997, Guardiola was named as Barcelona captain under new manager Louis van Gaal , but a calf muscle injury ruled Guardiola out of most of the 1997–98 season , in which Barcelona won a league and cup double . At the end of the season, Barcelona rejected offers from Roma and Parma (of around 300 million pesetas ) for Guardiola. After prolonged and complicated contract talks, he signed
7038-474: The UEFA Champions League , and also became the first European football club to win six out of six competitions in a single year, by also winning the Spanish Super Cup , UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup . In 2011, the club became European champions again, winning five trophies. This Barcelona team, which won fourteen trophies in just four years under Pep Guardiola , is considered by some in
7191-558: The UEFA Champions League . He also went a combined two wins, two draws, and two losses in the FIFA Club World Cup , UEFA Super Cup , and the German Super Cup . In non–official competitions, he went a combined six wins, one draw, and one loss. On 1 February 2016, Manchester City signed Guardiola to a three-year contract for the start of the 2016–17 season . Guardiola brought in several significant players in
7344-551: The UEFA Super Cup . On 25 September 2009, Barcelona gave him his 50th professional victory, away against Málaga and on 19 December, they were crowned FIFA Club World Cup champions for the first time in their history . Guardiola finished the calendar year with a record six trophies , the Spanish League , Copa del Rey , Champions League , Spanish Super Cup , European Super Cup and Club World Cup , becoming
7497-538: The deep-lying playmaker role, where he played alongside Roberto Baggio under manager Carlo Mazzone . Following his stint at Brescia, Guardiola transferred to Roma . His time in Italy, however, was unsuccessful and included a four-month ban for testing positive for nandrolone (he was cleared of all charges in 2009). After his career with Brescia and Roma, in 2003, Guardiola played in Qatar with Al-Ahli from Doha in
7650-481: The final . 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
7803-491: The first Spanish club to win the domestic cup, the league, and the European club titles ( the treble ) in the same season . Guardiola became the youngest man to manage a Champions League winning team , at age 37. The treble-winning season is regarded as one of the club's finest in its history. Guardiola's second season as manager began with defeats of Athletic Bilbao in the Supercopa de España and Shakhtar Donetsk in
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#17327840269587956-482: The first manager in history to do so. In January 2010, he became Barcelona's longest serving Spanish manager, overtaking the record previously held by Josep Samitier . He agreed to a one-year contract extension to keep him with Barcelona until the end of the 2010–11 season . In February 2010, Guardiola managed his 100th match for Barcelona's first team. His record stood at 71 wins, 19 draws and 10 losses, with 242 goals for and 76 against. On 10 April 2010, he became
8109-645: The semi–finals of Champions League . Bayern lost the first leg 1–0 and the second leg 4–0. The first leg was also Guardiola's first defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu. He finished the 2013–14 season by winning the DFB-Pokal 2–0 in extra–time. In the 2014–15 season , Bayern lost the German Super Cup 2–0 to Borussia Dortmund. On 11 March 2015, Bayern defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 7–0, tying their largest win in Champions League history. In Guardiola's 100th match as manager, Bayern defeated Porto 6–1. With
8262-515: The world's fourth richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €800.1 million. The official Barcelona anthem is the " Cant del Barça ", written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs . Barcelona traditionally play in dark shades of blue and garnet stripes, hence nicknamed Blaugrana . Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 77 trophies: 27 La Liga , 31 Copa del Rey , 14 Supercopa de España , three Copa Eva Duarte , and two Copa de la Liga titles, as well as being
8415-572: The 2011 calendar year winning the Club World Cup , beating Brazilian club Santos 4–0 in the final , the widest margin in an Intercontinental Cup/Club World Cup final since changing to a single match format. This was Guardiola's 13th title of only 16 tournaments played. On 9 January 2012, he was named FIFA World Coach of the Year . On his 41st birthday, he led his side to a 2–1 victory over arch-rivals Real Madrid in El Clásico , ensuring that he remained unbeaten against Real Madrid in regular time as
8568-521: The Bernabéu, 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. In the Champions League, Barcelona beat English club Arsenal in the final . Trailing 1–0 to a ten-man Arsenal and with less than 15 minutes remaining, they came back to win 2–1, with substitute Henrik Larsson, in his final appearance for
8721-684: The Bundesliga in each of the three seasons, including two domestic doubles . He left the club for Manchester City in 2016 and guided them to the Premier League title in his second season in charge, breaking numerous domestic records as the team became the first to attain 100 points in a single season . He led City to a domestic treble in 2018–19 , their first Champions League final in 2020–21 , and their first Champions League title as part of another continental treble in 2022–23 . Born in Santpedor , Barcelona, Catalonia, Guardiola joined La Masia at age 13 from Gimnàstic de Manresa and rose through
8874-493: The Champions League semi-finals stage, thereby ending his final chance of winning a Champions League title with the Bavarian club. Guardiola's final match was on 21 May 2016, with Bayern defeating Borussia Dortmund in a shootout. He finished with a record of 82 wins, eleven draws and nine losses in the Bundesliga; a record of 14 wins, three draws and no losses in the DFB-Pokal ; a record of 23 wins, five draws and eight losses in
9027-486: The Champions League, Rexach was never viewed as a long-term solution and that summer 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 Antić , though
9180-556: The Gamper-led era, Barcelona won eleven Campionats de Catalunya, six Copa del Rey and four Pyrenees Cups. 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. This coincided with the transition to professional football, and, in 1926,
9333-409: 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 2–1 to them at the beginning of March. They reached the semi-final 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
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#17327840269589486-465: The Spanish midfield until his final appearance on 14 November 2001, in a 1–0 victory in a friendly match against Mexico . Guardiola scored his last international goal against Sweden in a 1–1 friendly draw during his 45th appearance. Guardiola has played for and advocated on behalf of the Catalonia football team . Between 1995 and 2005, he played seven friendly matches for Catalonia. Guardiola
9639-428: The Spanish national side, he also stood out for his leadership throughout his career. Despite his playing ability, he was also known to be injury prone throughout his career. Guardiola's playing style, which relied on creativity, technique and ball movement, rather than physicality and pace, inspired several future diminutive Spanish playmaking midfielders, such as Xavi , Andrés Iniesta , and Cesc Fàbregas , with
9792-545: The UEFA Champions League, becoming the youngest manager to win the latter competition. He was named the FIFA World Coach of the Year in 2011 after leading the club to another La Liga and Champions League double in the 2010–11 season . Guardiola ended his four-year Barcelona stint in 2012 with 14 honours, a club record . After a sabbatical period, Guardiola joined Bayern Munich in 2013 and won
9945-514: The academy. About half of them were from Catalonia , and the rest came from other regions of the Kingdom of Spain and beyond, including 15 from Cameroon , 7 from Brazil, 5 from Senegal and 3 from Argentina. Of those 440, 40 made it into Barcelona's first team. La Masia houses about 60 players: 10 in the farmhouse, and the rest in rooms of the adjacent stadium; the rest of the youth players must provide for their own accommodation. The academy
10098-661: The ball effectively through his team-work and defensive positioning, he also had a tendency to give away many fouls; as such, and also in part due to his slender physical build, he usually functioned as a deep-lying playmaker in front of the defence, where he excelled courtesy of his technical ability and intelligent, efficient, precise passing game. He would also occasionally drop deeper to act as an additional centre-back in Cruyff's fluid 3–4–3 formation at Barcelona. Despite his lack of notable pace, dribbling ability, aerial prowess, or strong physical or athletic attributes, Guardiola
10251-432: The best deep-lying playmakers in European football in his prime, while Lee Bushe of 90min.com even included him in his list of "The Best Deep-Lying Playmakers of All Time" in 2020. Guardiola was appointed manager of Barcelona B on 21 June 2007 with Tito Vilanova as his assistant. Under his guidance, the team subsequently won their Tercera División group and qualified for the 2008 Segunda División B playoffs , which
10404-467: The bottom of the club to the top". The philosophy consists of the application of total football mixed with traditional Spanish one-touch play ( tiqui-taka ). The total football approach was derived from the Netherlands football team through Cruyff. The total football approach requires the players to move in a fluid formation, where players can interchange positions quickly. In the youth academy, there
10557-458: The changing room, though nothing was ever proven. 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 the first time since 1929. They added two more titles in 1948 and 1949. In 1949 , they also won the first Copa Latina . In June 1950, Barcelona signed László Kubala , who
10710-586: The club as a staunch defender of rights and freedoms . Coach Ferdinand Daučík and László Kubala led 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, the club won La Liga and the Copa del Generalísimo again. With Helenio Herrera as coach, a young Luis Suárez ,
10863-495: 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. The stadium is regarded as the main element that helped the club grow in the 1910s and become a dominant team, winning three successive Campionats de Catalunya between 1909 and 1911, three Copa del del Rey in four years between 1910 and 1913 , and four successive Pyrenees Cup between
11016-465: The club have won a record eight European Golden Shoe awards. 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
11169-403: The club win the 1973–74 season for the first time since 1960, defeating Real Madrid 5–0 at the Santiago Bernabéu en route. 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
11322-473: The club's first full-time coach in 1917. 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. On 4 February 1917, the club held its first tribute match to honour Ramón Torralba , who played from 1913 to 1928. The match
11475-493: The club's return to success. Barcelona won La Liga and the Supercopa de España in 2004–05 , and Ronaldinho and Eto'o were voted first and third, respectively, in the FIFA World Player of the Year awards. In the 2005–06 season , Barcelona repeated their league and Supercopa successes. The pinnacle of the league season arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu in a 3–0 win over Real Madrid. It was Rijkaard's second victory at
11628-602: The club's seventh all-time top-scorer, and in 1917, Gamper also 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 and soon enjoyed its first "golden age". Along with Alcántara, the Barça team under Greenwell also included Sagibarba , Ricardo Zamora , Josep Samitier , Félix Sesúmaga , and Franz Platko . This team won 9 out of 10 Campionats de Catalunya between 1919 and 1928 and two Copa del Rey titles in 1920 and 1922 . In total, during
11781-401: 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. Despite being the favourites and starting strongly, Barcelona finished the 2006–07 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
11934-433: The club, this time as manager and he assembled what would later be dubbed the "Dream Team". He used a mix of Spanish players like Pep Guardiola , José Mari Bakero , Jon Andoni Goikoetxea , Miguel Angel Nadal , and Txiki Begiristain while signing international players such as Ronald Koeman , Michael Laudrup , Romário , and Hristo Stoichkov . It was ten years after the inception of the youth programme, La Masia, when
12087-461: The club, with Real Madrid monopolising La Liga. The completion of Camp Nou , finished in 1957, meant the club had little money to spend on new players. The 1960s saw the emergence of Josep Maria Fusté and Carles Rexach , and the club won the Copa del Generalísimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. Barcelona restored some pride by beating Real Madrid 1–0 in the 1968 Copa del Generalísimo final at
12240-626: The club. On 14 October 1992, Guardiola debuted for the Spain national football team in a friendly match against Northern Ireland . The same year, he served as Spain when they won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympic Games . That same year he won the Bravo Award , which recognises the world's best player under the age of 21. Guardiola was a member of the Spanish team during the 1994 FIFA World Cup , where they reached
12393-407: The club; however, this approach (combined with something of a 'stockpiling' of players due to a transfer ban for breaching regulations regarding the signing of non- EU youth players) meant there was less opportunity for local academy graduates to appear with the first team, and a perception that the quality of players produced by Barcelona was not quite as high as the previous generation. Nevertheless,
12546-574: The conclusion of the season. 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, Andrés Iniesta and Lionel Messi. Barça beat Athletic Bilbao 4–1 in the 2009 Copa del Rey final , winning the competition for a record-breaking 25th time. A historic 2–6 victory against Real Madrid followed three days later and ensured that Barcelona became 2008–09 La Liga champions. Barça finished
12699-421: The crowd. The next three years saw the club in decline, and managers came and went. Van Gaal was replaced by Lorenzo Serra Ferrer who, despite an extensive investment in players in the summer of 2000, presided over a mediocre league campaign and a first-round Champions League exit, and was dismissed late in the season. Long-serving Barcelona deputy coach Carles Rexach was appointed as his replacement, initially on
12852-460: The directors of Barcelona publicly claimed, for the first time, to operate a professional football club. On 3 July 1927, the club held a second testimonial match for Paulino Alcántara , 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. In 1928, victory in the Spanish Cup was celebrated with
13005-462: The end, allowed to remain. In association with Barcelona Director of Sport Txiki Begiristain , several new signings were made by Guardiola – Dani Alves and Seydou Keita arrived from Sevilla ; Martín Cáceres from Villarreal by way of Recreativo ; Gerard Piqué returned from Manchester United ; and Alexander Hleb was signed from Arsenal . Along with the new signings, Guardiola promoted canteranos Sergio Busquets , Pedro and Jeffrén to
13158-401: The entire 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. On 6 August, Falangist soldiers near Guadarrama murdered club president Josep Sunyol , a representative of the pro-independence political party. He was dubbed the martyr of barcelonisme , and his murder
13311-488: The facility. In 2011, it was announced that Barcelona would be moving all its football training activities to La Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper . La Masia received more publicity after Barcelona B's success with homegrown players; Rory Smith reported in The Daily Telegraph that La Masia "has replaced the fabled Ajax Academy as football's foremost production line". The recent fame and success of La Masia as
13464-426: The fans when compared to that of Luís Figo, then club vice-captain. Figo had become a cult hero and was considered by Catalans to be one of their own. Barcelona fans, however, were distraught by Figo's decision to join arch-rivals Real Madrid, and, during subsequent visits to 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
13617-463: The first manager in Barcelona's history to beat Real Madrid four times in a row in El Clásico . Barcelona reached the semi-finals of the 2009–10 Champions League , but lost 3–2 on aggregate to José Mourinho 's Inter Milan. Despite this, they managed to win their 20th La Liga title with 99 points by beating Real Valladolid 4–0 at home. At the time, this was the highest points total ever gained amongst any of Europe's major leagues . The La Liga title
13770-641: The first youth academy to have trained all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or in a single year: Lionel Messi , Andrés Iniesta and Xavi . La Masia is also the name of FC Barcelona's football training facilities, originally located near the Camp Nou in the Les Corts district of Barcelona . The original building itself was an ancient country residence (in Catalan , masia ) built in 1702, and once Camp Nou
13923-424: The first-team squad. In interviews with the press, Guardiola stressed a harder work ethic than before, but also a more personal approach during training and a closer relationship with his players. Guardiola's first competitive game as manager was in the third qualifying round of the Champions League , in which Barcelona comfortably beat Polish club Wisła Kraków 4–0 in the first leg at home. They then lost 1–0 in
14076-484: The following season, under coach César Luis Menotti , Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, beating Real Madrid. Maradona's time with Barcelona, however, 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 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 București during
14229-613: The goalkeeper and full-back positions. Due to Bravo's struggles the previous season, Ederson was brought in as the new first-choice goalkeeper. Wing-backs Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker were also signed, while dispensing of all the previous senior full-backs at the club in Aleksandar Kolarov , Gaël Clichy , Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta . Additionally, Bernardo Silva and Danilo were also acquired from Monaco and Real Madrid, respectively. On 25 February 2018, City won
14382-622: The inaugural year in 1910 and 1913, which was one of the earliest international club cups in Europe since it 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. Notable figures of Barça's first great team include Carles Comamala, Alfredo Massana , Amechazurra , Paco Bru , and Jack Greenwell . The latter became
14535-421: The last stage, he is designated a "key" player of the B team and might be called to the first team. One of the players in the third phase is made captain, regardless of the experience of older players. The teams at Barcelona play from August to May; mild weather at La Masia allows players to train outdoors throughout the year. The youth teams train after school; Barcelona B plays as a professional team, training in
14688-405: The last three months of the season with a serious ankle injury . On 11 April 2001, Barcelona's captain announced his intention to leave the club after 17 years of service. He stated that it was a personal decision and, in part, a response to what he perceived as football heading in a new, more physical, direction. On 24 June 2001, Guardiola played his last match with Barcelona in the final game of
14841-421: The latter describing him as his "idol". Pirlo instead described Guardiola as the "model" for the position which he himself occupied deep in midfield. Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta once described Guardiola as "the best central midfielder in our history." Johan Cruyff considered him to be one of the best midfielders of his generation, a view echoed by Richard Jolly of FourFourTwo and Marco Frattino,
14994-478: The latter of whom stated in 2018: "Twenty years ago, [...] Pep Guardiola was one of the best midfielders in the world." In 2001, his agent Josè Maria Orobitg described him as the best in the world at dictating the tempo and rhythm of his team's play. Miguel Val of Marca considered Guardiola to be one of the greatest Spanish players of all time, describing him as the "brains of Barcelona's Dream Team under Johan Cruyff" in 2020. Federico Aquè described him as one of
15147-473: The majority of his career with Barcelona , forming a part of Johan Cruyff 's Dream Team that won the club's first European Cup in 1992 , and four successive Spanish league titles from 1991 to 1994. He captained the team from 1997 until his departure from Barcelona in 2001. Guardiola then had stints with Brescia and Roma in Italy, Al-Ahli in Qatar and Dorados in Mexico. He was capped 47 times for
15300-515: The match, with Iniesta scoring the winning goal against the Netherlands. In November 2010, Barcelona defeated their main rival Real Madrid 5–0 in El Clásico . At the ceremony for the 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or in December, Barcelona's La Masia became the first youth academy ever to have all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or , with Messi, Iniesta and Xavi being named the three best players in
15453-486: The morning and evening. All of the trainers at FC Barcelona are former professional footballers. Barcelona B , the club's main youth team, and the 12 other youth teams contained 24 coaches and more than 300 players. There are 56 other employees, including doctors, psychologists, nutritionists, cooks and physiologists. In the 2009–10 season, the B team qualified for the Segunda División again. Barcelona B play in
15606-432: The name of the young lad playing on the right side of midfield . "Guardiola – good lad," came the reply. Cruyff ignored the comment and told Rexach to move him into the middle for the second half, to play as pivot . It was a difficult position to adapt to and one not used by many teams in Spain at the time. Guardiola adjusted immediately, as Cruyff had suspected he would, and when he moved to the first-team in 1990, he became
15759-535: 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 . Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world, and the club has one of the largest social media following in the world among sports teams. Barcelona players have won a joint record twelve Ballon d'Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff , as well as
15912-599: The pivot of the Dream Team . Guardiola became a first-team regular in the 1991–92 season , and at only 20 years old was a key component of a side that won La Liga and the European Cup . The Italian magazine Guerin Sportivo heralded Guardiola as the finest player in the world under the age of 21. Cruyff's "Dream Team" went on to retain La Liga title in the 1992–93 and 1993–94 seasons . The side again reached
16065-460: The previous record holder, Guardiola's former manager at Barcelona, Louis van Gaal). Following a loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup semi-finals, Guardiola finished the season without a trophy for the first time in his managerial career. Guardiola identified the defensive areas which required improvement for Manchester City in the summer transfer window to challenge for the league title, particularly in
16218-415: The quarter-finals, losing 2–1 to Italy . Due to disagreements, he fell out of favour with Spain coach Javier Clemente and missed out on UEFA Euro 1996 . Guardiola suffered a career-threatening injury in 1998 which kept him out of the year's World Cup , but later played at Euro 2000 , where Spain reached another quarter-final, this time losing to France by the same margin of 2–1. He continued to play in
16371-513: The ranks of Barcelona's youth academy for six years, making his debut in 1990 against Cádiz . As Phil Ball writes in Morbo , In his first week at the club, Johan Cruyff turned up unannounced at the Mini Estadi , a venue just down the road from Camp Nou used by Barcelona B . Just before half-time he wandered into the dug-out and asked Charly Rexach , the youth team manager at the time,
16524-644: The record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football , the club has won 22 European and worldwide titles: five UEFA Champions League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners' Cups , five UEFA Super Cups , a record three Inter-Cities Fairs 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
16677-494: The reign of Guardiola was further extended and saw Barcelona win their 13th trophy out of a possible 16. Considered by some in the sport to be the greatest team of all time, with Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson stating, ”They mesmerise you with their passing”, their five trophies in 2011 saw them receive the Laureus World Sports Award for Team of the Year . In the 2011–12 season , Barcelona lost
16830-408: The reserve side, he set up a three-staged program to formalise the advancement from Juvenil to Barcelona B and finally to the first team. The first stage of a youth player's career involves a rotation scheme with Barcelona B. The second stage involves making the player aware of his importance to the team and the expectation that the player will improve cohesion and performance within the reserve side. In
16983-457: The responsibility of running the club from now on." 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 Barça acquire its own stadium and thus generate a stable income. On 14 March 1909, the team moved into the Camp de la Indústria , a stadium with a capacity of 8,000. To celebrate their new surroundings,
17136-633: The rest of Spain and 10 scattered throughout the world. To alleviate the expenses of this scouting, the club has an agreement with 15 local clubs for them to train players who are not ready for entry into the youth academy. In return, FC Barcelona gives money, coaching and technical advice to these clubs for their services. While expanding its operations abroad, the club established five schools in Mexico and one in Egypt; successful applicants to these schools become full-time students, receiving academic education and football training. When Pep Guardiola re-organised
17289-726: The season against Celta Vigo . Guardiola played 479 games in 12 seasons for the first team, winning 16 trophies. At the press conference after the Celta game, he said: "It's been a long journey. I'm happy, proud, happy with the way people treated me and I have made many friends. I cannot ask for more. I have had many years in the elite. I did not come to make history but to make my own history." A number of future Barcelona midfielders, including Xavi , Andrés Iniesta and Cesc Fàbregas , have hailed Guardiola as their role model and hero. After leaving Barcelona in 2001 at age 30, Guardiola joined Serie A side Brescia as Andrea Pirlo 's replacement in
17442-557: The season by beating Manchester United 2–0 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome , with goals from Eto'o and Messi, to win their third Champions League title, and complete the first ever treble won by a Spanish team. The team went on to win the 2009 Supercopa de España against Athletic Bilbao and the 2009 UEFA Super Cup against Shakhtar Donetsk , becoming the first European club to win both domestic and European Super Cups following
17595-430: The season on 26 August, beating Porto 2–0 in the 2011 UEFA Super Cup . With the trophy won against Porto, he became all-time record holder of most titles won as a manager at Barcelona , with 12 trophies in only three years. November of the same year saw Guardiola manager his 200th match for Barcelona's first team. His record stood at 144 wins, 39 draws and 17 losses with 500 goals for and 143 against. Barcelona ended
17748-580: The second leg, beating Barcelona 11–1. 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 11–1 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." It has been alleged by local journalist Paco Aguilar that Barcelona's players were threatened by police in
17901-451: The second leg, but progressed with a 4–1 aggregate victory. Promoted Numancia also defeated Barcelona in the opening matchday of the 2008–09 La Liga , but the team then went on an undefeated streak for over 20 matches to move to the top of the league. Barcelona maintained their spot atop La Liga's table, securing their first league title since 2006 when rivals Real Madrid lost at Villarreal on 16 May 2009. The most important match, however,
18054-439: The semi-finals of the Champions League against Chelsea . Guardiola, who had been on a rolling contract and had faced criticism over his recent tactics and squad selections, announced that he would step down as manager on 30 June and be succeeded by assistant Tito Vilanova . Guardiola finished his tenure with Barça winning the Copa del Rey final 3–0, bringing the tally to 14 trophies that Barça had won under his coaching. It
18207-441: The service of a club with a strong, defining sense of the cultural make-up of Catalonia. In 2009, Messi became the first player from La Masia to be awarded with the Ballon d'Or prize for the best footballer in Europe, and the FIFA World Player award, for the best footballer in the world. In the next year , Messi would win the Ballon d'Or again, but La Masia became the first youth academy to have trained all three finalists for in
18360-528: The signing of previous La Masia graduates, such as Eric García , Oriol Romeu and Dani Olmo . La Masia has opened a Residence Academy in Arizona that leverage the same methods that La Masia does in Spain. Top players from the AZ academy are invited to Spain annually to visit La Masia. Many players from Barcelona's youth system go on to have careers in football, whether at Barcelona or at other clubs. The following
18513-444: The six matches. Bayern's only loss in the Champions League group stage was against Arsenal on 20 October. This was Bayern's first loss in all competitions during the 2015–16 season. On 20 December, Bayern confirmed that Guardiola was leaving the club after his contract expired at the end of the season, with Carlo Ancelotti his replacement for the 2016–17 season. On 3 May 2016, Guardiola's Bayern Munich lost to Atlético Madrid in
18666-465: The sport to be the greatest team 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. On 22 October 1899, Swiss Hans Gamper placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club; a positive response resulted in a meeting at
18819-450: The standing of Josep Escolà , 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. Although the team won the Campionat de Catalunya in 1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, and 1938, success at a national level (with the exception of the 1937 disputed title ) evaded them. A month after
18972-514: The start of the 2012–13 season . After his time at Barcelona came to an end, Guardiola took a year's sabbatical in New York City. On 7 January 2013, he came in third place for the 2012 FIFA World Coach of the Year , behind the winner Vicente del Bosque and runner-up José Mourinho. While at a news conference at the 2012 FIFA Ballon d'Or gala in Zürich , Guardiola said: "I have taken
19125-448: The summer, including midfielders İlkay Gündoğan from Borussia Dortmund and Nolito from Celta Vigo , winger Leroy Sané from Schalke 04 and defender John Stones from Everton . He also controversially replaced long-serving City starting goalkeeper Joe Hart with Claudio Bravo from his former club Barcelona; Hart would never make another appearance for the club. On 13 August 2016, Guardiola earned victory in his first match of
19278-510: The team continued to win trophies and some further canteranos did make a breakthrough into the squad, including Rafinha , Carles Aleñá and Sergi Roberto , the latter having to retrain as a right back due to the abundance of talent in his original midfield position. The return of Joan Laporta as president and Xavi as head coach marked the return of the preference for La Masia players, such as Gavi , Ansu Fati , Lamine Yamal , Alejandro Balde , Pau Cubarsí , Fermín López , Marc Casado and
19431-463: The team could not achieve success, as Schuster was excluded from the team. Terry Venables was subsequently fired at the beginning of the 1987–88 season and replaced with Luis Aragonés . The season finished with the players rebelling against president Núñez, in an event known as the Hesperia mutiny, and a 1–0 victory in the Copa del Rey final against Real Sociedad . In 1988, Johan Cruyff returned to
19584-496: The team won a Copa del Rey and La Liga double in 1998. In 1999, the club celebrated its centenari , winning the Primera División 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 Núñez resigning in 2000. The departures of Núñez and Van Gaal were hardly noticed by
19737-484: The team won, thereby achieving promotion. Barcelona President Joan Laporta announced in May 2008 that Guardiola would be appointed manager of the senior Barcelona squad to replace Frank Rijkaard at the end of the 2007–08 season . Upon being appointed, Guardiola made headlines by announcing that stars such as Ronaldinho , Deco and Samuel Eto'o were not part of his plans for the coming season , though Eto'o was, in
19890-431: The top flight of Spanish football . Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper , the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism , hence the motto "Més que un club" ( "More than a club" ). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the third-most valuable football club in the world, worth $ 5.6 billion, and
20043-454: The way they circulate the ball." On 25 November 2012, for the first time, Barcelona fielded all eleven players that have come up through La Masia in a La Liga match. After Dani Alves was substituted by Martín Montoya due to an injury in the 13th minute, Barça played the next 60 minutes with Víctor Valdés , Montoya , Carles Puyol , Gerard Piqué , Jordi Alba , Sergio Busquets , Xavi , Iniesta , Cesc Fàbregas , Pedro , and Messi . In
20196-541: The win, Bayern reached their fourth-straight Champions League semi-final. On 28 April 2015, Bayern were knocked out of the German Cup in a penalty shoot-out. Bayern had missed all four of their shots. In his first competitive match against Barcelona, Bayern lost 3–0. Bayern failed to get a shot on target in the match. For the first time in his career, he lost four in a row (including the shoot-out loss). The 2015–16 season started on 1 August 2015 when Bayern lost in
20349-617: The world for 2010. In the 2010–11 season , Barcelona retained the La Liga trophy, their third title in succession, finishing with 96 points. In April 2011, the club reached the Copa del Rey final , losing 1–0 to Real Madrid at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia . In May, Barcelona defeated Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League Final 3–1 held at Wembley Stadium , a repeat of the 2009 final, winning their fourth European Cup. In August 2011, La Masia graduate Cesc Fàbregas
20502-511: The years immediately following this achievement, with those players aging and Barcelona seeking to maintain their position as one of the world's top clubs, they moved towards a more conventional recruitment strategy, signing some of the most talented players from around the globe for large transfer fees, such as Neymar , Luis Suárez and Philippe Coutinho , plus younger players (most with origins in Brazil and France) expected to improve further with
20655-410: The young players began to graduate and play for their first team. Pep Guardiola, the future coach of Barcelona, was one of the first graduates and would go on to receive international recognition. 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
20808-413: Was Guardiola's biggest-ever managerial defeat in a domestic competition. In Europe, City were eliminated in the Champions League round of 16 by Monaco on away goals after a 6–6 aggregate draw. The second leg of the tie was Guardiola's 100th game as a manager in European competition, and he arrived at that mark with the best record of any manager, having earned 61 wins and 23 draws (one draw better than
20961-414: Was Guardiola's seventh trophy as manager of the club, tying Ferdinand Daučík for second behind Johan Cruyff and his 11 trophies. On 21 August, Barcelona beat Sevilla 5–3 on aggregate to win the 2010 Supercopa de España , his second in a row. On 29 November 2010, Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5–0, giving Guardiola five straight wins in El Clásico . On 8 February 2011, Guardiola accepted the club's offer for
21114-624: Was a defining moment in the history of FC Barcelona and Catalan identity. 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. On 16 March 1938, Barcelona came under aerial bombardment from
21267-441: Was a highly creative, hard-working, nimble, and elegant player, with good anticipation, tactical awareness, and an ability to read the game; throughout his career, he was usually deployed as either a central or defensive midfielder in front of his team's back-line, although he was also capable of playing in more attacking midfield roles. Although he was competent defensively and able to press opponents to break up play and win
21420-443: Was against local side Terrassa where Barcelona won the match 6–2. 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. Les Cortes had an initial capacity of 30,000, and in the 1940s it was expanded to 60,000. In 1912, Gamper recruited Paulino Alcántara ,
21573-466: Was announced in summer of 2012 that Tito Vilanova, assistant manager at 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 La Liga, including two hat-tricks. On 11 May 2013, Barcelona were crowned as
21726-455: Was banned and the club were prohibited from using non-Spanish names. These measures forced the club to change its name to Club de Fútbol Barcelona and to remove the Catalan flag from its crest. In 1943 , Barcelona faced rivals Real Madrid in the semi-finals of Copa del Generalísimo (now the Copa del Rey). The first match at Les Corts was won by Barcelona 3–0. Real Madrid comfortably won
21879-469: Was bought for a world record £920,000 from Ajax . 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 . Next to champions like Juan Manuel Asensi , Carles Rexach and Hugo Sotil , he helped
22032-668: 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. Later the same month, Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup defeating Porto 2–0 with goals from Messi and Fàbregas. This extended the club's overall number of official trophies to 74, surpassing Real Madrid's total amount of official trophies. The Super Cup victory also saw Guardiola win his 12th trophy out of
22185-442: Was highly regarded throughout his career for his vision, close control, passing range, positional sense, and calm composure on the ball, as well as his speed of thought, which enabled him to retain possession under pressure and either set the tempo of his team's play in midfield with quick and intricate short first-time exchanges, or switch the play or create chances with longer passes. His role has also been likened to that of
22338-467: Was inaugurated in 1957, the building was remodelled and extended for use as the club's social headquarters. With the gradual expansion of the club, the building became too small for headquarters, and on 20 October 1979, La Masia was converted into a dormitory for young players from outside Barcelona. On 30 June 2011, the Masia building ceased housing the academy players. In a ceremony, the doors were closed and
22491-459: Was on 2 May when they defeated Real Madrid 6–2 at the Santiago Bernabéu . The league title was the second piece of silverware in Guardiola's first season at the club. Earlier, on 13 May, Barcelona won the 2008–09 Copa del Rey , beating Athletic Bilbao 4–1 in the 2009 Copa del Rey final . In the final of the Champions League , Barcelona beat Manchester United 2–0. In doing so, they became
22644-460: Was open feuding as Eto'o publicly criticised coach Rijkaard and Ronaldinho. Ronaldinho also admitted that a lack of fitness affected his form. 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 5–2, with
22797-435: Was organised by Armand Caraben, Joan Laporta and Alfons Godall. The objective of the group, called L'Elefant Blau , was to oppose the presidency of Núñez, which they regarded as a corruption of the club's traditional values. Laporta would later take over the presidency of Barcelona in 2003. Cruyff was briefly replaced by Bobby Robson , who took charge of the club for a single season in 1996–97. He recruited Ronaldo for
22950-435: 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. Pep Guardiola Josep Guardiola Sala (born 18 January 1971), commonly known as Pep Guardiola ( Catalan pronunciation: [ˈpɛb ɡwəɾðiˈɔlə] ), is a Catalan professional football manager and former player from Spain who
23103-399: Was still with Barcelona. In 1978, Josep Lluís Núñez 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
23256-585: Was the German Super Cup against Borussia Dortmund , with Bayern losing 4–2. His first trophy with Bayern was the 2013 UEFA Super Cup , defeating longtime adversary José Mourinho, who had just returned to manage at Chelsea. Bayern beat ten-man Chelsea in a shoot-out after Manuel Neuer saved Romelu Lukaku 's kick. In December 2013, Guardiola won his third Club World Cup after beating Raja Casablanca in Morocco. On 25 March 2014, he led Bayern to their 23rd Bundesliga title by beating Hertha Berlin 3–1 at
23409-520: Was to be an important figure at the club. On a rainy Sunday of 1951, the crowd left Les Corts stadium after a 2–1 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
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