From its origins in the XIX Century to contemporary FCB

1. • FC Barcelona has over 100 years of history.
• It is owned by his fans, called socios, and therefore the president
of the club and the board members are elected by the socios. This
model in the US professional sport is only followed by the Green
Bay Packers.
• In Spanish top-flight soccer 4 teams are fan-owned: FC
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Osasuna and Athletic Bilbao.
History of FC
Barcelona
The Club

2. • In 2014 FCB had 153,458 socios worldwide: 74% men and 26%
women.
• 140,000 socios live in Catalonia and 13,000 in the rest of the
world.
• Apart from socios, club owners, there are many other FC
Barcelona fans that form penyas. Penyas are not-for-profit
associations of people who gather to watch FCB games, travel
together to away games, etc.
• In 2014 there were 1,267 penyas, 88 of them out of Spain.
History of FC
Barcelona
The Club

3. • FC Barcelona plays in the Camp Nou stadium since 1957.
• Camp Nou is the second biggest soccer stadium in the world
and the biggest in Europe.
• There is a project to renew the stadium and enlarge its capacity to
105,000 seats, all under the roof.
History of FC
Barcelona
The Club

4. Ten Largest Soccer Stadiums in the World

6. The 10 most valuable sport teams in the world 2014

7. • FC Barcelona is not only a soccer
club. It also has sections of
basketball, handball, roller hockey and
futsal, as well as some amateur sports
sections.
• In roller hockey and handball FCB is
the most acknowledged team in
Europe. In basketball is in the historic
top ten.
European Cup championships in handball
History of FC
Barcelona
The Club

8. History of FC
Barcelona
1.
The foundation of
the club
• FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 by Hans Gamper, who placed
an ad in Los Deportes magazine trying to recruit football players.
• He was Swiss but fell in love with Barcelona and stayed. He
changed his name for Joan Gamper and felt strongly identified with
Catalan culture.
Gamper’s funeral in Barcelona in 1930

9. 1922. Les Corts Stadium

10. History of FC
Barcelona
2.
The Civil War
(1936-1939)
• During the Spanish Civil War the president of FC Barcelona, Josep
Sunyol i Garriga, supporter of the Republican band, ended up in
the Nationalist side by mistake. He was assassinated in Madrid in
August 1936.
• Sunyol was in a car with the Catalan flag and when approaching a
checkpoint he yelled: ¡Viva la República!
Stone commemorating the death of Sunyol

11. History of FC
Barcelona
3.
Francoist Spain
• Franco defeated the Republican Army and imposed an
authoritarian state for 40 years.
• During Francoism Barça was “Castilianized”. Names were
changed and the club was stripped of its Catalan identity.

13. • In 1943 Real Madrid inflicted a
11-1 beating over FCB
• There are different versions of
the story: some say Spanish
police threatened FCB
players if they refused to
concede the victory.
History of FC
Barcelona
3.
Francoist Spain

14. History of FC
Barcelona
4.
The arrival of
Kubala
• László Kubala has been the most
prominent player of FCB in the
XX Century.
• He joined Barcelona in 1951. His
impact made FCB build a new
stadium to accommodate all the
fans willing to see him play.
• Along with Basora, César,
Ramallets, Moreno and Manchón,
they formed the most mythical FCB
team ever.

15. 1957. Camp Nou opening

16. History of FC
Barcelona
4.
The arrival of
Kubala
Kubala’s story is worth of a drama film:
 Kubala reached Western Europe
escaping from Communist Hungary.
 He went to Italy. His son got ill and
Kubala missed a match against Benfica.
In the flight home the plane crashed and
all Kubala’s teammates died.
 In 1950 he signed with FCB with Franco’s
help, who was eager to promote the
transfer as anti-Communist propaganda.

17. “we don’t need footballers forged under Communism”
“FCB is an association of chancers and undesirables who have
come from faraway lands to eat our bread”
Marca (1953)

18. History of FC
Barcelona
4.
The arrival of
Kubala
Kubala’s story is worth of a drama film:
 FIFA sanctioned FCB for the illegal
transfer and Kubala had to wait an entire
year to play.
 In 1952 Kubala suffered tuberculosis.
He retired to the mountains and FCB
thought this was a career-ending
disease.
 FCB tried to sign the Argentinian Di
Stéfano to replace him.

19. History of FC
Barcelona
5.
The fatalism
(1961-1974)
• For many years FCB regretted their bad luck.
• Referees were perceived to be conspiring against them.
• 1970, the Guruceta incident
June 1970, Camp Nou stadium

20. In 1961 FC Barcelona lost his first European Cup final against Benfica (3-2)

21. History of FC
Barcelona
6.
Johan Cruyff
(1973-1978)
• Johan Cruyff is considered to be one of the 4 or 5 all-time best soccer
players.
• He came to FCB after an offer from Real Madrid. Transfer fee record
($2M).
• In 1972 FCB had 58,000 socios. In 1973 64,130.

23. “Back then football was ‘right, out we go, come on lads, in
hard’. And that was it. No one studied the opponents, it was:
fight, jump and run. Then it was: no, let’s play better football.
There was a method, an idea. We brought that to the game
and other couldn’t handle”
Charlie Rexach

24. History of FC
Barcelona
6.
Johan Cruyff
(1973-1978)
• In 1974 FC Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 0-5. This result has
gained huge symbolic significance over the decades.
Match Year
RM 5 – FCB 0 1953-54
RM 0 – FCB 5 1973-74
FCB 5 – RM 0 1993-94
RM 5 – FCB 0 1994-95
FCB 5 – RM 0 2011-12

25. In 1986 FC Barcelona lost his second European Cup final against Steaua
Bucharest (0-0 and penalty shootout)