Barcelona FC is another famous and successful football club from Spain. It was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper. It has won 26 La Liga titles, 31 Copa del Rey trophies, and 5 European Cups/Champions League titles. Some of its legendary players include Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta, Johan Cruyff, and Ronaldinho. Barcelona FC plays its home games at the Camp Nou Stadium, which has a capacity of over 99,000 spectators. Its main rival is Real Madrid, and their matches are known as El Clásico.
The current coach of Barcelona FC is Xavi Hernández. He is a club legend who played for Barcelona FC from 1998 to 2015, winning 25 major trophies and becoming one of the best midfielders of all time. He signed the contract that will keep him at the club for the rest of the current season and two more seasons in November 20231. He left his previous club, Al-Sadd of Qatar, after talks held over the last few days with the owners of the club. He is in his first spell as a coach of a top European club, having only coached Al-Sadd since 2019. He is expected to bring his philosophy of possession-based and attacking football to Barcelona FC, following the footsteps of his former coach and mentor Pep Guardiola.
There are many famous matches played by Barcelona FC in its history, especially in the European and domestic competitions. Here are some of the most memorable ones:
-Barcelona 6-1 PSG (16/17): This was one of the greatest comebacks in football history, as Barcelona overturned a 4-0 deficit from the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 to win 6-5 on aggregate. They scored three goals in the last seven minutes, with Sergi Roberto scoring the decisive goal in the 95th minute1.
-Real Madrid 2-6 Barcelona (08/09): This was one of the most dominant performances by Barcelona in El Clásico, as they thrashed their arch-rivals at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. They scored six goals with six different players, including Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, who both scored twice. The win put them seven points clear at the top of La Liga and paved the way for their treble-winning season.
-Chelsea 1-1 Barcelona (08/09): This was one of the most controversial matches in Champions League history, as Barcelona snatched a late equalizer to eliminate Chelsea in the semi-finals. Chelsea felt they were denied several penalties by referee Tom Henning Øvrebø, and their players and fans were furious at the final whistle. Andres Iniesta scored a stunning goal in the 93rd minute to send Barcelona through on away goals.
-Barcelona 4-0 Manchester United (94/95): This was one of the most impressive displays by Barcelona in European football, as they demolished Manchester United at the Camp Nou Stadium. They scored four goals in the first half, with Romario and Hristo Stoichkov scoring two each. The win helped them qualify for the quarter-finals of the Champions League and showed their attacking prowess under coach Johan Cruyff.
-Liverpool 1-3 Barcelona (01/02): This was one of the most memorable matches for Barcelona fans, as they beat Liverpool at Anfield in the UEFA Cup semi-finals. They came back from a goal down to score three goals in six minutes, with Rivaldo, Luis Enrique and Patrick Kluivert scoring. The win was a revenge for their defeat to Liverpool in the same competition two years earlier.
These are just some examples of famous matches played by Barcelona FC.
There are many famous players that have played for Barcelona FC in its history, especially in the European and domestic competitions. Here are some of the most popular ones according to a fan ranking:
-Lionel Messi: He is widely regarded as one of the best players of all time and the greatest Barcelona player ever. He has played for Barcelona since 2004 and has scored over 700 goals for the club. He has won 35 trophies with Barcelona, including 10 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles. He has also won 6 Ballon d’Or awards and 6 European Golden Shoes.
-Ronaldinho: He is one of the most skillful and entertaining players in football history. He played for Barcelona from 2003 to 2008 and won 5 trophies with the club, including 2 La Liga titles and 1 Champions League title. He was also named FIFA World Player of the Year twice and won the Ballon d’Or in 2005.
-Andrés Iniesta: He is one of the most elegant and intelligent midfielders of his generation. He played for Barcelona from 2002 to 2018 and won 32 trophies with the club, including 9 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles. He was also a key member of the Spain national team that won the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2008 and 2012.
-Xavi: He is one of the most influential and successful players in Barcelona’s history. He played for Barcelona from 1998 to 2015 and won 25 trophies with the club, including 8 La Liga titles and 4 Champions League titles. He was also a vital part of the Spain national team that won the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros in 2008 and 2012.
-Johan Cruyff: He is one of the greatest players and coaches of all time. He played for Barcelona from 1973 to 1978 and won 4 trophies with the club, including 1 La Liga title and 1 Copa del Rey. He was also named European Footballer of the Year three times. As a coach, he led Barcelona to their first European Cup in 1992 and created the famous Dream Team that dominated Spanish football in the early 1990s.
These are just some examples of famous players that have played for Barcelona FC.