90 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.

On what item did Barcelona's Charly Rexach write a contract for 13-year-old Lionel Messi in 2000?

A paper napkin was the only paper to hand when the club was given an ultimatum to prove its commitment to the player that December.

Which pope, one of FC Barcelona's famous supporters, celebrated Mass for over 120,000 people at Camp Nou?

John Paul II drew the congregation in November 1982, on the occasion of being made an honorary citizen of Barcelona.

Which future Real Madrid manager was Bobby Robson's Portuguese assistant at Barcelona in 1996?

José Mourinho had started out as Robson's interpreter at Sporting CP and Porto, and Barcelona thought enough of him to keep him on as assistant to Robson's successor.

Which Barcelona defender, a 2010 World Cup winner, was the singer Shakira's partner until 2022?

Gerard Piqué shares a birthday with Shakira, ten years apart, and their relationship began in 2010, the year he won the World Cup with Spain.

Which future NBA Rookie of the Year was 2001 Spanish cup MVP for FC Barcelona's basketball team?

Pau Gasol dropped out of medical school in the city as his basketball career took off, and a year after that cup win he became the first non-American NBA Rookie of the Year.

Which music streaming service bought the naming rights to Barcelona's Camp Nou stadium in 2022?

Spotify struck a deal reported to be worth $310 million, and the ground officially carried the sponsor's name from July of that year.

Which Barcelona winger became the youngest scorer in European Championship history at Euro 2024?

Lamine Yamal struck Spain's equaliser against France from outside the box in the semi-final, and was named the tournament's best young player as Spain took the title.

Which Argentine striker retired with a heart condition in 2021, months after joining Barcelona?

Sergio Agüero went to hospital with chest discomfort during a home draw against Alavés and never played again, retiring at 33 on his doctors' advice.

Which long-serving defender captained Barcelona from 2004 until his retirement in 2014?

Carles Puyol played all 593 of his club matches for Barcelona, and marked a goal in the 6–2 win at Real Madrid in 2009 by kissing the Catalan flag on his armband.

Which Brazilian club, where Pelé made his name in the 1950s, sold Neymar to Barcelona in 2013?

Santos gave Neymar his professional debut in 2009, a month after he turned 17, and he was in tears during the anthem before his farewell match in 2013.

Which former Real Madrid player coached Barcelona to the treble in his first season, 2014–15?

Luis Enrique spent five seasons at Real Madrid and even scored in a 5–0 win over Barcelona, then crossed the divide on a free transfer in 1996.

Which French forward left Arsenal for Barcelona in 2007 and won the treble two years later?

Thierry Henry cost €24 million and left London as Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, with 228 goals.

Which striker did Barcelona sign from Inter in 2009, only for him to leave after a single season?

Zlatan Ibrahimović scored seven goals in his first seven league games after a deal valuing him at €66 million, but he fell out with his coach and returned to Italy.

Which Barcelona midfielder won the women's Ballon d'Or in 2021 and 2022, the second while injured?

Alexia Putellas missed the 2022 European Championship with a torn ACL, yet she became the first woman to win the award in consecutive years.

From which Argentine club's youth ranks did Barcelona recruit the 13-year-old Lionel Messi?

Newell's Old Boys, his club from the age of seven, went back on a promise to help pay for his growth hormone therapy, so the family looked to Spain.

Which sportswear brand has supplied FC Barcelona's kits in every season since 1998?

Nike signed a fresh agreement with the club in November 2024, extending a partnership that had already run for more than a quarter of a century.

Which French forward cost Barcelona a €120 million buy-out fee to Atlético Madrid in 2019?

Antoine Griezmann's move sparked a row: Atlético said Barcelona owed €80 million more, claiming the deal was agreed before his clause dropped from €200 million.

Which Brazilian striker hit a hat-trick as Johan Cruyff's Barcelona beat Real Madrid 5–0?

Romário opened the scoring by dragging the ball around his marker without it leaving his foot, then finishing with his trademark toe-poke.

Which playmaker won a Clásico 5–0 with Barcelona, then won another 5–0 for Real Madrid a year later?

Michael Laudrup fell out with Johan Cruyff and made the controversial switch in 1994, then won a fifth straight league title in his first season in Madrid.

Which British striker scored a hat-trick for Barcelona in a 3–2 win over Real Madrid in 1986–87?

Gary Lineker had cost £2.8 million from Everton, and the hat-trick made him a cult hero in a first season that brought 20 league goals.

Which ground, opened in 1922, was FC Barcelona's home until the move to Camp Nou in 1957?

Les Corts opened with a capacity of 20,000, and by the 1950s it had no room left for expansion, so the club built a new stadium instead.

Who scored the 95th-minute goal that completed Barcelona's 6–1 'Remontada' comeback in 2017?

Sergi Roberto's strike made Barcelona the first club in Champions League history to overcome a four-goal first-leg deficit.

Which Barcelona midfielder's father kept goal for the club in the 1990s, usually as a backup?

Sergio Busquets and his father both won Europe's top club prize with Barcelona; a French newspaper branded the elder Busquets 'the goalkeeper with no hands'.

Which club beat Real Madrid on the final day in 1992 and 1993, handing Barcelona both league titles?

Tenerife were managed by Jorge Valdano, a former Real Madrid player, when they twice denied his old side on the last day of the season.

From which German club did Barcelona sign Ousmane Dembélé in 2017 for an initial €105 million?

Borussia Dortmund had signed him only a year earlier, and banked what was then the joint-second highest fee in football history, behind only Neymar's.

Which pioneer of 'Total Football' coached Barcelona to the 1974 league title, its first since 1960?

Rinus Michels arrived in 1971 and ended the 14-year wait in 1974, the same year he took the Netherlands to the World Cup final.

Which Dutch coach succeeded Bobby Robson at Barcelona in 1997 and won the league twice in a row?

Louis van Gaal left in 2000 after disagreements with the club's hierarchy, then came back for a second, shorter spell in 2002.

Which Barcelona defender lifted the 2011 Champions League trophy weeks after liver tumour surgery?

Éric Abidal played the full 90 minutes at Wembley, and his captain handed him the armband so that he could be the first to lift the cup.

Which Barcelona playmaker became the first Spanish-born winner of the Ballon d'Or in 1960?

Luis Suárez, nicknamed the Architect, finished well clear of Real Madrid's Ferenc Puskás in the France Football ballot and later reached his prime as a deep-lying playmaker at Inter.

Which Barcelona striker was kidnapped at gunpoint after a match in 1981 and held for 25 days?

Quini was rescued unharmed, but Barcelona managed only one draw in four games without him and lost the title race; he later chose not to press charges.

Which organisation became Barcelona's first commercial jersey sponsor, in a deal announced in 2010?

Qatar Foundation is a state-led non-profit; the deal, worth up to €170 million, ended the club's tradition of never taking payment for a name on its jersey.

Which Barcelona youngster, signed from Las Palmas as a teenager, won the Golden Boy award in 2021?

Pedri played in almost every match of his debut season, and added the Kopa Trophy for the world's best young player the same year.

Which German club did Barcelona Femení beat before a women's world-record crowd of 91,648 in 2022?

Wolfsburg's visit to Camp Nou broke a record the team had set earlier that year, when 91,553 watched a win over Real Madrid in the same stadium.

Which coach won two straight league titles with Barcelona but was dismissed in January 2020?

Ernesto Valverde was let go after a Supercopa defeat even though his side sat top of the table on goal difference; it ended that season without a trophy.

What does 'Camp Nou', the popular name of FC Barcelona's stadium since 1957, mean in Catalan?

New field was simply what supporters called the ground because it replaced the club's previous home; its official title was a far longer descriptive one.

Which Barcelona president resigned along with his entire board of directors in October 2020?

Bartomeu had taken office in 2014, when his predecessor resigned over the so-called 'Neymar case', and was elected to complete the term.

Which European competition did Barcelona win at its first staging, beating a London XI 6–0?

The Fairs Cup winners were entered as a city side, 'Barcelona XI', which was effectively FC Barcelona; the rout in the return leg followed a 2–2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Which Philippine-born forward's Barcelona goal record, friendlies included, stood until Lionel Messi beat it in 2014?

Paulino Alcántara retired in 1927 to become a doctor; his best-known strike is the 1919 'police goal', when his shot is said to have carried a policeman into the net along with the ball.

Which FC Barcelona founder was the club's first president while also playing in its first match?

Walter Wild held the post for 513 days from the founding meeting in November 1899, and was re-elected three times before work forced him to resign.

Which goalkeeper came out of retirement in 2024 to join Barcelona, then won a domestic treble?

Wojciech Szczęsny had announced his retirement just over a month earlier; Barcelona called after first-choice Marc-André ter Stegen suffered a long-term injury.