FC Barcelona: A Legacy Of Excellence In Football

FC Barcelona: A Legacy Of Excellence In Football

Barcelona is arguably one of the most popular clubs in world football and has been for a long time. Barca is based out of the city of Barcelona in Spain. The club was founded in the eve year of the 20th century, making the club over 120 years old. Most other clubs operate with owners, however, the fans are the owners that own and run the club. All home games are played at the Nou Camp and the players are some of the highest-paid in world sports. In terms of records, Barcelona has it all with more than 74 trophies and counting. The Catalonian club has won the La Liga twenty-six times and the Copa del Rey thirty times and the Champions League 5 times. The club’s biggest rivals are Real Madrid, the other biggest team in Spain. When the teams face up against each other in any competitive match, the matches are called El Clasico. In fact, neither club has ever been relegated from the top division (including Athletic Bilbao). The club also has a list of formidable players who’ve played and won for the club including Johan Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldo, Ronaldhino, Rivaldo, etc.

Barcelona Football Club’s Past

Barcelona Football Club has always had an illustrious history, with titles and more. However, it’s easy to forget that this club comes from humble beginnings that had to fight (and still fight) against repression. During World War 2, a Barcelona office was hit directly by the IAF in bombings. At the time, the Barca flag was banned and the club changed its crest to remove any feelings and objects of separatism.

1. Cruyff Era – Cruyff has two eras with Barcelona, the first as a player and the second as a manager. In his first term as a player, he won the Ballon d’Or 3 times and helped Barcelona win several accolades in the mid-70s. In his second term, he managed players such as Pep Guardiola, Nadal, Koen, Laudrup, etc. These players were part of the dream team that also managed to win several La Liga and Copa Del Rey Trophies. The Dutch built on the work of his predecessor, Louis van Gaal and shaped a form of playing just perfect for Barcelona. Redefined the concept of attacking football and leveraged heavily on his experience as a former football to identify and cover lapses across the field. As a visionary manager, he was one of the first to identify and implement the concept of using the attack as the most potent form of defense and was instrumental in creating the layout of football known as Tiki-Taka. During his stint at the club, he delivered 11 trophies and has managed to become the most successor manager in the club’s history, second only to his former player, Pep Guardiola, who brought a record 14 trophies to the Catalonian club.

2. Champions League – Despite the club’s rich history, they never managed to win the Champions League for over 100 years. They lifted the Cup for the first time in 1992. The club managed to beat Arsenal in 2006 with a team that included Eto, Puyol, Ronaldhino, Deco, Van Bommel, Valdez, etc. Since then, the club has managed to lift the trophy another 3 times in 15 seasons. Critical to much of the club’s success in recent times is none other than the highest Ballon d’Or holder of all time, Lionel Messi. With a team built around this engine, the club has powered through opponent after opponent and has made themselves duly respected worldwide.

3. Pep Guardiola – Pep Guardiola managed to assemble and deploy one of the greatest ever Barcelona Football Club teams during his 4-year tenure at the Nou Camp. The club managed to win 3.5 trophies every year or 14 in total. Barcelona was the first club in Spain to win six out of 6 major tournaments and titles in a single year (2011). Pep also incorporated a flawless passing side with rising Lionel Messi at the helm. Most managers usually need some time to settle down and get their bearings when they reach a new club, so floundering a little in the first season isn’t only unusual, but it’s even expected in many cases. However, Pep Guardiola would have none of that. His first game as manager of the club ended in a whopping 4-0 victory for the Catalonian side. And, to show that this performance wasn’t a fluke, he would win the famous “sextuple”—all in his first season as manager of the club. Remember that the first match Barca played under him would also be his first-ever game as a professional manager. During his time in the club, he would get the opportunity to manage various high-profile players like Gerard Pique, Samuel Eto’o, Lionel Messi, and even the current manager of the club, Xavi Iniesta. Guardiola showed a unique ability to keenly size up any player and accurately assess their value on the pitch. Still, he also knew how to patiently bring out nothing but the very best in every team member. He put these skills to work in earnest and was able to make the club truly shine during his four-year stay there.

Barcelona’s Present

Most of Barcelona’s present has been dictated by their best player and arguably, the best player in the world. The player is Lionel Messi. With the player’s rise in stature, so has the club won more than it has in the past. Messi also had a very capable squad around him. However, the team was always built around him that helped him create and score many goals for the club. Messi has the most goals for the club with over 680 and counting. The next person on that list has 369 goals and held the top position for almost a century. Barcelona won 4 out of the last 6 seasons in the La Liga, 4 out of the last 6 Copa Del Ray, 4 out of the last 15 Champions League titles, and several other tournaments. The list of current players includes Lionel Messi, Busquets, Pique, Ter Stegen, Griezmann, Dembele, Fati, Coutinho, Pedri, etc.

Barcelona’s Future

Barcelona Football Club is a fan-favorite club and will continue to be in the foreseeable future. However, one concern the club has is being overly reliant on Messi. Messi is in the final year of his contract. It’s important the club makes the right moves, brings in the right players, and promotes from within the La Masa academy to rebuild a new and competitive squad. Ex-player Ronald Koeman was at the helm of things for FC Barcelona.

However, he was recently replaced by Xavi Iniesta, who is another former player of the club. And while there might be a little friction between the current president of the club, Joan Laporta, and the new manager, Iniesta has shown that he’s the right man for the job as he has managed to return the club to winning ways successfully.

He recently guided them to a stunning 4-0 win over their rivals, Real Madrid, in what was perhaps the most thrilling El Clasico in recent history. Under him, he’s shown that the club still has what it takes to be considered one of the best in the world.