50 Fun Facts About FC Barcelona

In what year was FC Barcelona founded?

Eleven players answered a newspaper advert and met at the Gimnasio Solé on 29 November.

What nationality was founder Hans (Joan) Gamper?

He placed an advertisement in Los Deportes declaring his wish to form a football club.

What is Barcelona's famous motto?

It means 'More than a club' and reflects the club's role as a symbol of Catalan identity.

Barcelona's nickname Blaugrana refers to what?

Dark blue and garnet stripes were first worn against Hispania in 1900.

Who owns FC Barcelona?

Socis form an assembly of delegates, the club's highest governing body; shares cannot be bought.

The supporter nickname culer derives from a Catalan word meaning what?

Fans at the Camp de la Indústria sat with their rears hanging over the stand.

Who was the club's first president?

Gamper did not take the presidency until 1908, when he stepped in to stop the club folding.

What was the club's first piece of silverware, won in 1902?

It was the first football competition played on the Iberian Peninsula.

Who became the club's first full-time coach in 1917?

He is still the club's longest-serving manager, with nine years over two spells.

What did the crowd do in 1925 that got the ground closed for six months?

The protest against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship also cost Gamper the presidency.

In which year did Barcelona win the inaugural Spanish League?

They are one of three founder members never relegated, with Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao.

Which club president was killed by Falangist soldiers in August 1936?

He is remembered as the martyr of barcelonisme.

What name was imposed under Franco-era restrictions on non-Spanish names?

The Catalan flag was also removed from the crest until 1974.

By what score did Real Madrid win the second leg of the 1943 cup semi-final?

Barcelona alleged police intimidation in the dressing room; nothing was ever proven.

Which Hungarian signed in 1950 later scored seven in one La Liga game?

His seven against Sporting Gijón in 1952 remain a La Liga record.

How many trophies did the 1951–52 'Barça de les Cinc Copes' win?

It was the first Spanish side to win five in a season, including the Copa Latina and Copa Eva Duarte.

Which player's disputed 1953 transfer to Real Madrid inflamed the rivalry?

FIFA's mediator proposed he alternate seasons between the two clubs; Barcelona sold their half-share.

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

Barça had become the first club to knock Real Madrid out of the competition that season.

From which club was Johan Cruyff signed for a world-record £920,000 in 1973?

He said he could not play for a club associated with Franco, and named his son Jordi.

What did Cruyff name his son, endearing himself to Catalans?

It is the Catalan form of George, the region's patron saint.

Who became the club's first elected president in 1978?

His presidency lasted 22 years and let Maradona, Romário and Ronaldo leave over wage demands.

Barcelona won their first Cup Winners' Cup in 1979 by beating whom 4–3 in Basel?

More than 30,000 travelling fans watched it.

La Masia, the youth residence opened in 1979, was originally what kind of building?

It stood on the land where the Camp Nou was built.

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

He won a Copa del Rey under César Luis Menotti before leaving for Napoli.

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

The final was played in Seville.

What was the 1988 players' revolt against president Núñez known as?

Luis Aragonés's side still won the Copa del Rey that season.

Whose free kick won the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley?

It was the first European Cup for the Dream Team.

Which protest group against Núñez was co-founded by future president Joan Laporta?

It formed in reaction to Cruyff's departure in 1996.

How many goals did Ronaldo score in 49 games under Bobby Robson in 1996–97?

Robson delivered a cup treble in his single season before Louis van Gaal arrived.

What was thrown at Luís Figo on his first return to Camp Nou with Real Madrid?

A full bottle of whiskey came flying too; he had been the club's vice-captain.

Rivaldo's last-minute bicycle kick in 2001 completed a hat-trick against whom?

It secured the final Champions League place on the last day of the season.

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

It was his final appearance for the club; Eto'o and Belletti scored.

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

He sold Ronaldinho and Deco and built around Xavi, Iniesta and Messi.

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

It was the first treble by a Spanish club; a sextuple followed by December.

How many trophies did the club win in calendar year 2009, a European first?

League, cup, Champions League, two Super Cups and the Club World Cup.

Which three La Masia graduates filled the entire 2010 Ballon d'Or podium?

It was a first for any youth academy.

How many points did Tito Vilanova's side amass in winning La Liga in 2012–13?

They lost only twice and Messi scored 46 league goals.

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

Luis Enrique's side became the first European club to win the treble twice.

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

The 6–1 second leg remains the biggest comeback in Champions League history.

For what world-record fee did Neymar leave the club in 2017?

Coutinho's €120 million arrival from Liverpool months later is the club's record purchase.

How long was the La Liga-record unbeaten run Barcelona completed in May 2018?

A 5–1 win over Villarreal set the mark.

Which organisation's name was the first on the front of the shirt, in 2006?

Barcelona paid to carry it; the first commercial sponsor, Qatar Foundation, came in 2011.

Which Swiss club's colours are popularly thought to be the source of blue and garnet?

Rival theories cite Merchant Taylors' School and Robespierre's First Republic.

By how much did the Camp Nou's construction overrun its budget?

Building took three years and finished in September 1957.

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

They returned in November 2025 before full capacity in 2025–26.

Whose 60-year-old club scoring record did Lionel Messi break in March 2012?

Messi finished with 672 official goals for the club.

Which two Barcelona goalkeepers won a record five Zamora trophies each?

Valdés's 0.832 goals conceded per game is a La Liga record.

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

Espanyol was the first team to beat Barça at Camp Nou in the 2008–09 treble season.

Which Italian club has Barcelona faced more than any other European opponent?

Milan beat the Dream Team 4–0 in the 1994 final; Barça overturned 0–2 to 4–0 in 2013.

Who replaced Xavi as head coach in May 2024?

He won La Liga in his first season and again in 2025–26.