50 Fun Facts About FC Barcelona

How did Joan Gamper recruit Barcelona's founders?

Magazine advert. His notice in the sports magazine Los Deportes on 22 October 1899 invited football enthusiasts to come forward, and within weeks those who answered met in a gym to found the club.

What nationality was FC Barcelona's founder Joan Gamper, born Hans Gamper?

Swiss. He had already helped found FC Zürich at home, and served as its first captain, before he moved to Barcelona and set about starting another club.

What is Barcelona's famous motto?

Més que un club, Catalan for 'More than a club'. Narcís de Carreras is credited with coining it on taking office as president in 1968, casting Barça as a symbol of Catalan identity under Franco's dictatorship.

Barcelona's nickname Blaugrana refers to what?

The shirt colours. Blau and grana are Catalan for blue and deep red; by the club's own account the Witty brothers, two early players, proposed the rugby colours of their old English school.

Who owns FC Barcelona?

Its members. The socis, as they are known, elect the president themselves, and because the club is a registered association it has no shares for an investor to buy.

Which nickname did Barcelona fans earn for backsides hanging over a ground's wall?

Culers. As the story goes, crowds at the Carrer Indústria ground spilled onto the top of its wall, and people in the street saw a row of rears, culs in Catalan.

Which Barcelona forward did Real Madrid's own fans applaud after his two solo goals in a 3–0 win in 2005?

Ronaldinho. He twice ran through Madrid's defence at the Bernabéu, and home fans stood to applaud a Barcelona player there for the first time since Diego Maradona in 1983.

Which trophy, won in 1902, was FC Barcelona's first piece of silverware?

The Copa Macaya. Founder Joan Gamper captained the side to it, a year after Barça had lost the first edition to Hispania, the club that organised the tournament.

Which Englishman became FC Barcelona's first full-time coach in 1917?

Jack Greenwell. He had played for the club since 1912, in its first great team, before founder Joan Gamper asked him to swap the pitch for the bench.

What did FC Barcelona's crowd do in 1925 that led Spain's dictatorship to close the ground?

Jeered the Royal March. Fans booed Spain's anthem, then applauded God Save the King from a visiting British Royal Marines band, and the regime forced Joan Gamper to give up the presidency.

Besides Barcelona and Real Madrid, which club has never been relegated?

Athletic Bilbao. All three were among the league's founding clubs in 1929; Barça won that first title, then waited until 1945 for its second.

Which FC Barcelona president was killed by rebel soldiers in August 1936?

Josep Sunyol. Also a left-wing Catalan member of parliament, he was visiting Republican troops north of Madrid when rebel soldiers arrested him and shot him without trial.

Under Franco, FC Barcelona was forced to adopt which Spanish-language name?

Club de Fútbol Barcelona. Franco's regime banned non-Spanish names, so the English-style 'Football Club' had to go, and the crest lost its Catalan flag too; the old name returned only in the 1970s.

By what score did Real Madrid beat Barcelona in the second leg of their 1943 cup semi-final?

11–1. Barça had won the first leg 3–0 at Les Corts, and the club alleged that its players were intimidated before the return in Madrid.

Which Hungarian forward, signed by Barcelona in 1950, later scored seven goals in a single league game?

László Kubala. He had fled communist Hungary in the back of a truck in 1949; his seven came in a 9–0 rout of Sporting Gijón in 1952.

A stoppage-time equaliser in 2009 put Barcelona into the Champions League final at which club's expense?

Chelsea. The shot from outside the box, deep in stoppage time, was Barcelona's only one on target all night; it made it 1–1 at Stamford Bridge and sent Barça through on away goals.

Which player's disputed 1953 transfer, claimed by both Barcelona and Real Madrid, inflamed their rivalry?

Alfredo Di Stéfano. A FIFA-backed ruling had him alternating seasons between the two clubs; Barcelona gave up its claim instead, and he led Madrid to five straight European Cups.

Which club beat Barcelona 3–2 in the 1961 European Cup final?

Benfica. Barça had just ended Real Madrid's run of five straight titles by knocking them out in the first round, only to lose the final in Bern.

From which club did Barcelona sign Johan Cruyff for a world-record fee in 1973?

Ajax. Cruyff led Barça to its first league title in fourteen years in his first season, beating Real Madrid 5–0 in their own stadium on the way.

What Catalan name did Barcelona star Johan Cruyff give his son, born in 1974?

Jordi. It is the name of Catalonia's patron saint, and officials under Franco wanted the Spanish form Jorge on the register, but the Cruyffs kept the Catalan name anyway.

Who became FC Barcelona's first elected president in 1978?

Josep Lluís Núñez. A construction magnate with no previous link to the club, he stayed 22 years and let stars such as Maradona and Romário go rather than meet their wage demands.

Barcelona won its first Cup Winners' Cup in 1979 by beating which club 4–3 after extra time?

Fortuna Düsseldorf. More than 30,000 fans travelled from Catalonia to watch Barça win it in extra time, the club's first trophy in a UEFA competition.

Which Barcelona landmark is an old Catalan farmhouse that once housed the club's young players?

La Masia. The old farmhouse became a dormitory for Barcelona's young players in 1979; the academy has since moved to modern premises but kept the name.

From which club did Barcelona sign Diego Maradona for a world-record £5 million in 1982?

Boca Juniors. A tackle broke his ankle in his second season, and after a mass brawl at the 1984 cup final in front of Spain's king, Barça sold him to Napoli.

Who beat Terry Venables' Barcelona on penalties in the 1986 European Cup final?

Steaua București. Their goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam saved all four Barcelona penalties in the shoot-out in Seville, and the Romanians won it 2–0.

What name is given to the 1988 revolt in which Barcelona's players demanded their president's resignation?

The Hesperia mutiny. It is named after the Barcelona hotel where the squad signed a note asking the president to resign, in a row over who should pay tax on their image contracts.

Whose extra-time free kick won Barcelona the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley?

Ronald Koeman. His free kick finally gave Barça the European Cup, after the club had lost the finals of 1961 and 1986.

Which 1990s protest group opposing Barcelona's president was co-founded by future president Joan Laporta?

L'Elefant Blau, 'the Blue Elephant'. Formed after Johan Cruyff was sacked as coach in 1996, it forced a no-confidence vote in 1998 and lost, but Laporta won the presidency in 2003.

Which Brazilian striker scored 47 goals in 49 games in his only season at Barcelona, 1996–97?

Ronaldo. At 20 he scored the winner in the Cup Winners' Cup final, then left for Inter Milan that summer for a world-record fee when talks over a new contract collapsed.

Besides coins and a whisky bottle, what was thrown at Real Madrid's Luís Figo at Camp Nou in 2002?

A piglet's head. Figo had left Barcelona for Real Madrid two years earlier, and so much was thrown as he tried to take a corner that the referee halted the match.

Rivaldo's last-minute bicycle kick for Barcelona in 2001 completed a hat-trick against which club?

Valencia. The 3–2 win on the final day of the season lifted Barça above Valencia themselves and into the last Champions League place.

Which Barcelona substitute set up both goals in the 2006 Champions League final win over Arsenal?

Henrik Larsson. In his last game for the club, the Swede came on after an hour with Barça 1–0 down and set up Samuel Eto'o and Juliano Belletti four minutes apart.

Who took over from Frank Rijkaard in 2008 after coaching Barcelona B?

Pep Guardiola. He had spent a single season with the reserves, then in the fourth tier, yet won the league, the cup and the Champions League in his first year in charge.

Where did Barcelona beat Manchester United 2–0 to complete the 2009 treble?

Rome. Samuel Eto'o scored early at the Stadio Olimpico, and Lionel Messi sealed it by looping a header from Xavi's cross over the goalkeeper.

Which trophy completed Barcelona's sweep of six in 2009?

FIFA Club World Cup. Lionel Messi's goal in extra time beat Estudiantes in Abu Dhabi that December and made Barça the first European club to win six trophies in a calendar year.

Which Barcelona academy graduate joined Lionel Messi and Xavi on the 2010 Ballon d'Or podium?

Andrés Iniesta. He came second, months after scoring the goal that won Spain the World Cup, with Xavi third: the first time one club's academy had produced the whole podium.

Which coach led Barcelona to a 100-point league title in his only season?

Tito Vilanova. Promoted from assistant coach, he spent part of the season in New York having cancer treatment, yet his side lost only two league games; he stepped down that summer when the illness returned.

Whom did Barcelona beat 3–1 in the 2015 Champions League final for a second treble?

Juventus. Xavi came off the bench in Berlin for his final Barcelona appearance, was handed the captain's armband and ended his time at the club with the trophy.

Against which club did Barcelona overturn a 4–0 first-leg deficit in March 2017?

Paris Saint-Germain. Barça still needed three goals in the 88th minute; Neymar scored twice and Sergi Roberto got the sixth in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Which Liverpool player became Barcelona's record signing in January 2018?

Philippe Coutinho. Two years later, on loan at Bayern Munich, he came off the bench and scored twice against Barça, his parent club, in an 8–2 Champions League defeat.

Which club ended Barcelona's hopes of an unbeaten league season with a 5–4 win in May 2018?

Levante. They led 5–1 early in the second half and held on to win 5–4, the champions' first league defeat of the season, with only one game left to play.

Whose name was the first to appear on the front of Barcelona's shirt, in 2006?

UNICEF. Instead of being paid, Barça gave money to the children's charity each year to carry its name; a paying sponsor, Qatar Foundation, did not follow until 2011.

Which club's kit is popularly thought to have inspired Barcelona's blue and garnet stripes?

Basel. Founder Joan Gamper had turned out for the red-and-blue side before he left home, though the club's own version credits two English brothers instead and neither account is proven.

Which name is given to the short-passing possession style associated with Barcelona's 2008–2012 side?

Tiki-taka. A Spanish TV commentator is credited with popularising the word at the 2006 World Cup, yet the coach most linked to it rejected the label, calling passing for its own sake rubbish.

Where did Barcelona play home games during the Camp Nou renovation from 2023?

Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. The 1992 Olympic stadium on Montjuïc is named after the Catalan president executed by Franco's regime in 1940 at the castle on the same hill.

Whose club record of 232 goals did Lionel Messi break in March 2012?

César Rodríguez's. The 1940s striker's mark had stood for 57 years when Messi, aged 24, passed it with three goals against Granada.

Which Barcelona goalkeeper won the Zamora Trophy five times, four of them in consecutive seasons?

Víctor Valdés. The home-grown keeper is also remembered for the 2006 Champions League final, where his saves from Arsenal's Thierry Henry kept Barça alive before they came from behind to win.

Which club is Barcelona's local rival in El derbi Barceloní?

Espanyol. A university student founded it in 1900 for local players, at a time when the city's clubs were made up largely of foreigners, hence the name, which means 'Spanish'.

Which Italian club beat Johan Cruyff's Barcelona 'Dream Team' 4–0 in the 1994 Champions League final?

AC Milan. The Italians were missing suspended defenders Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta, yet shut out a Barcelona side that had just won four league titles in a row.

Who replaced Xavi as Barcelona's head coach in May 2024?

Hansi Flick. He had coached the Bayern Munich side that beat Barça 8–2 in 2020, and in his first season in Spain he won the league, the cup and the Super Cup.