We’re glad that you’ve found your way to our guide to FC Barcelona. In this article we’ve brought you everything that you need to know about Barca, from their players, to their history and their rivalries. Read on to become an expert in the club and check in on Sportslens regularly for the latest FC Barcelona news.
Explore Our Football Betting Sites
FC Barcelona Logo & History
FC Barcelona were founded in 1899, by a group of footballers led by the Swiss player Joan Gamper, who would become the club’s first official manager. The FC Barcelona badge includes the club colours, the yellow and red Catalonian Bars of Aragon and the white and red St George’s Cross. St George is the patron saint of Catalonia.
A symbol of Catalan culture, the club motto is ‘Mes que un club’, which translates into English as ‘More than a club’. One of the founding La Liga teams, FC Barcelona have never been relegated.
The club is owned and operated by the Barca supporters, with a president elected every few years. FC Barcelona is one of the most successful clubs in Spain and across the world, holding a number of different records for winning individual trophies the most times.
FC Barcelona Kit
Traditionally FC Barcelona play in in vertically striped shirts that are blue and a shade of red known as garnet. In addition they wear blue shorts and socks.
This classic design is tinkered with from season to season. In recent years there has been shirts featuring blue and garnet halves, horizontal stripes and a checkered design, but FC Barcelona also return to their classic stripes before long.
The club wore a white away shirt from 1899 to 1974, before a yellow design came in from 1974 to 1985. Since then, a wide variety of colours have been used in away FC Barcelona kits, though they have never returned to wearing the white that is synonymous with Real Madrid, their arch-rivals.
Club Honours
- La Liga / Spanish Football Championship – 26 times: 1929, 1944–45, 1947–48, 1948–49, 1951–52, 1952–53, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1973–74, 1984–85, 1990–91, 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2010–11, 2012–13, 2014–15, 2015–16, 2017–18, 2018–19
- Copa del Rey – 31 times: 1909-10, 1911-12, 1912-13, 1919-20, 1921-22, 1924-25, 1925-26, 1927-28, 1941-42, 1950-51, 1951-52, 1952-53, 1956-57, 1958-59, 1962-63, 1967-68, 1970-71, 1977-78, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1987-88, 1989-90, 1996-97, 1997-98, 2008-09, 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2020-21
- Supercopa de Espana – 13 times: 1983, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2018
- UEFA Champions League / European Cup – 5 times: 1991-92, 2005-06, 2008-09, 2010-11, 2014-15
- UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup – 4 times: 1978-79, 1981-82, 1988-89, 1996-97
- UEFA Super Cup – 5 times: 1992, 1997, 2009, 2011, 2015
- FIFA Club World Cup – 3 times: 2009, 2011, 2015
FC Barcelona have win the Copa del Rey and the Supercopa de Espana more than any other club. Only Real Madrid have won La Liga more often.
In European competition, FC Barcelona won the now defunct European Cup Winners’ Cup more than any other team and jointly share the record for the most wins of the UEFA Super Cup. They have been crowned champions of Europe on five occasions and the Club World Cup champions three times. Look out for them in the Champions League betting each season. Speaking of which, more on Barca odds below…
Current FC Barcelona Odds & Betting
Barcelona are always priced at short odds in La Liga betting pre-season, when it comes to lifting trophies in Spain and are generally amongst the favourites to win European silverware. Here are their odds for the main trophies that they are competing for this season, including FC Barcelona Champions League prices.
| Competition | Best Barcelona Odds | Bookmaker |
| La Liga | 9/4 | bet365 |
| Copa del Rey | 11/4 | Betway |
| Champions League | 16/1 | 888Sport |
FC Barcelona Squad
Some of the greatest football players of all time have represented Barcelona. Indeed, their past rosters include many players who were considered the to be the very best in the world, during their particular era, such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi.
While FC Barcelona have pulled off many major transfer coups of famous foreign players, they are equally renowned for bringing through their own talent. Their academy, known as La Masia, has developed players such as Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Pep Guardiola, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Pedro, Gerard Pique, Carles Puyol, Victor Valdes and Xavi.
In this section we’re going to run through their current set of players.
FC Barcelona Goalkeeper Options
FC Barcelona are famed for their attacking play, but any good teams needs a safe pair of hands between the posts. Andoni Zubizarreta played for the club between 1986 and 1994 in a career that saw him win 126 caps for Spain. More recently, the homegrown Victor Valdes kept goal at the Camp Nou for many years. Here are the current FC Barcelona goalkeepers.
- 1. Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany)
- 26. Inaki Pena (Spain)
- 36. Arnau Tenas (Spain)
FC Barcelona Defenders
Some brilliant defenders have played for FC Barcelona. Fleet-footed full-backs, classy sweepers and central defensive hard-men have graced the Camp Nou. Notable examples include Dani Alves, Ronald Koeman, Rafa Marquez, Migueli, Miguel Angel Nadal and Carles Puyol. Here are the current crop of Barca defenders.
- 2. Sergino Dest (USA)
- 3. Gerard Pique (Spain)
- 4. Ronald Araujo (Uruguay)
- 15. Andreas Christensen (Denmark)
- 18. Jordi Alba (Spain)
- 23. Samuel Umtiti (France)
- 24. Eric Garcia (Spain)
- 28. Alejandro Bande (Spain)
- NA. Jules Kounde (France)
FC Barcelona Midfielders
Whether it’s been deep-lying holding midfielders that pull the strings, or attacking midfielders that provide the ammunition to the forwards, there have been some very special players in the middle of the pitch for FC Barcelona. The likes of Luis Enrique, Pep Guardiola, Andres Iniesta, Javier Mascherano, Johan Neeskens, Josep Samitier, Bernd Schuster and Xavi have represented the clubs. Here are the current midfielders of Barcelona FC.
- 5. Sergio Busquets (Spain)
- 8. Pedri (Spain)
- 16. Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia)
- 19. Franck Kessie (Ivory Coast)
- 20. Sergi Roberto (Spain)
- 21. Frenkie de Jong (Netherlands)
- 30. Gavi (Spain)
FC Barcelona Forwards
Perhaps more than any other club, Barcelona have had some truly magical forwards. Players such as Johan Cruyff, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi are legends of the game, while Barcelona FC have also boasted forwards of the quality of Samuel Eto’o, Thierry Henry, Patrick Kluivert, Laszlo Kubala, Michael Laudrup, Gary Lineker, Neymar, Carles Rexach, Rivaldo, Cesar Rodriguez, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Hristo Stoichkov, Luis Suarez and David Villa. Here are the current forwards on the FC Barcelona roster.
- 9. Robert Lewandowski (Poland)
- 10. Ansu Fati (Spain)
- 11. Ferran Torres (Spain)
- 12. Martin Braithwaite (Denmark)
- 14. Memphis Depay (Netherlands)
- 17. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
- 22. Raphinha (Brazil)
FC Barcelona Players with Most Appearances
Lionel Messi is the player with the most appearances for the FC Barcelona team. Yet with three current members of the squad ranking in the top ten for appearances, including the FC Barcelona captain Sergio Busquets, that could chance in the coming years.
| Rank | Player Name | Years | La Liga Games | Copa del Rey Matches | European Games | Other Matches | Total |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 2004-2021 | 520 | 80 | 153 | 25 | 778 |
| 2 | Xavi | 1998-2015 | 505 | 70 | 173 | 19 | 767 |
| 3 | Sergio Busquets | 2008-Present | 452 | 72 | 134 | 23 | 681 |
| 4 | Andres Iniesta | 2002-2018 | 442 | 73 | 138 | 21 | 674 |
| 5 | Gerard Pique | 2008-Present | 391 | 65 | 129 | 21 | 606 |
| 6 | Carles Puyol | 1999-2014 | 392 | 58 | 131 | 12 | 593 |
| 7 | Migueli | 1973-1989 | 391 | 60 | 85 | 13 | 549 |
| 8 | Victor Valdes | 2002-2014 | 387 | 12 | 118 | 18 | 535 |
| 9 | Carles Rexach | 1965-1981 | 328 | 59 | 63 | 0 | 450 |
| 10 | Jordi Alba | 2012-Present | 290 | 45 | 81 | 14 | 430 |
FC Barcelona All Time Top Scorers
Messi’s appearance record might be beaten, but it’s hard to see a player outscoring him, with the Argentine way ahead in the all-time FC Barcelona top scorers list. FC Barcelona score a lot of goals and here are the all-time top ten scorers.
| Rank | Player Name | Years | La Liga Goals | Copa del Rey Goals | European Goals | Goals in Other Games | Total |
| 1 | Lionel Messi | 2004-2021 | 474 | 56 | 120 | 22 | 672 |
| 2 | Cesar Rodriguez | 1942-1955 | 190 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 232 |
| 3 | Luis Suarez | 2014-2020 | 147 | 19 | 25 | 7 | 198 |
| 4 | Laszlo Kubala | 1950-1961 | 131 | NA | NA | NA | 194 |
| 5 | Josep Samitier | 1919-1932 | 21 | 64 | 0 | 102 | 187 |
| 6 | Josep Escola | 1934-1949 | 93 | 34 | NA | 40 | 167 |
| 7 | Paulinho Alcantara | 1912-1916, 1918-1927 | NA | NA | NA | NA | 143 |
| 8= | Samuel Eto’o | 2004-2009 | 108 | 2 | 18 | 2 | 130 |
| 8= | Rivaldo | 1997-2002 | 86 | 13 | 30 | 1 | 130 |
| 10 | Mariano Martin | 1940-1948 | 97 | NA | NA | NA | 128 |
Biggest FC Barcelona Transfers & Signings
FC Barcelona have long been one of the biggest spenders in world football, breaking the bank to bring great players to the club. They have also had their fair share of big sales over the years.
In this section we’re going to examine Barca’s transfers. Both the players that they’ve brought to the club and those that they’ve sold.
10 Most Expensive FC Barcelona Signings
When you’re competing with the likes of Real Madrid in Spain, a club like FC Barcelona have to spend big. Here are the most expensive signings of Barcelona FC.
| Rank | Player Name | Year Signed | Club Signed From | Reported Fee |
| 1= | Philippe Coutinho | 2018 | Liverpool | €120,000,000 |
| 1= | Antoine Griezmann | 2019 | Atletico Madrid | €120,000,000 |
| 3 | Ousmane Dembele | 2017 | Borussia Dortmund | €105,000,000 |
| 4 | Neymar | 2013 | Santos | €88,200,000 |
| 5 | Luis Suarez | 2014 | Liverpool | €82,300,000 |
| 6 | Frenkie de Jong | 2019 | Ajax | €75,000,000 |
| 7 | Zlatan Ibrahimovic | 2009 | Inter Milan | €69,500,000 |
| 8 | Miralem Pjanic | 2020 | Juventus | €60,000,000 |
| 9 | Raphinha | 2022 | Leeds United | €58,000,000 |
| 10 | Ferran Torres | 2022 | Manchester City | €55,000,000 |
Club’s 10 Most Expensive Sales
FC Barcelona is the type of club that players are desperate to join rather than leave. Nevertheless from time to time, Barca have had their players poached by other clubs, while even their cast offs can attract big fees. Here are their ten most expensive sales.
| Rank | Player Name | Year Sold | Club Sold To | Reported Fee |
| 1 | Neymar | 2017 | Paris Saint-Germain | €222,000,000 |
| 2 | Arthur | 2020 | Juventus | €72,000,000 |
| 3 | Luis Figo | 2000 | Real Madrid | €62,000,000 |
| 4 | Alexis Sanchez | 2014 | Arsenal | €42,500,000 |
| 5 | Paulinho | 2019 | Guangzhou Evergrande | €42,000,000 |
| 6 | Malcolm | 2019 | Zenit Saint Petersburg | €40,000,000 |
| 7 | Jasper Cillessen | 2019 | Valencia | €35,000,000 |
| 8 | Cesc Fabregas | 2014 | Chelsea | €33,000,000 |
| 9 | Yerry Mina | 2018 | Everton | €30,250,000 |
| 10 | Yaya Toure | 2010 | Manchester City | €30,000,000 |
FC Barcelona Manager List
FC Barcelona managers are under pressure from day one. If results are not consistent and trophies aren’t delivered, then they will soon be out of a job.
Even those that are successful in this regard, often leave the role relatively quickly due to the pressures of the FC Barcelona hot-seat, with Pep Guardiola being one example. Here is the full list of every coach that has managed FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona Stadium
Home FC Barcelona fixtures are played at the Camp Nou. Completed in 1957, the ground has been home to Barca ever since.
With a capacity of 99,354 the Camp Nou is the biggest stadium not just in Spain, but also the whole of Europe. It is the fourth biggest stadium that hosts association football in the world.
FC Barcelona Rivalries
Any great club has its rivals and FC Barcelona is no exception. In this section we’re going to run through some of their biggest rivalries, both in terms of teams from Spain and across Europe.
Barcelona vs Real Madrid – El Clasico
There is no bigger rivalry in world football than the one that exists between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Matches between the two are knows as El Clasico, which translates into English as ‘The Classic’.
The rivalry between the clubs is not just down to their position as the two biggest and most successful in Spain. It also has much to do with Spanish politics, with Real Madrid representing the establishment and FC Barcelona representing Catalan nationalism. Here’s how the head-to-head record in Real Madrid vs Barcelona matches stands.
| Number of El Clasico Matches | Barcelona Wins | Real Madrid Wins | Draws |
| 283 | 117 | 104 | 62 |
FC Barcelona vs Espanyol
The local rivals of FC Barcelona are Espanyol. With Espanyol also based in the city, the fixture is known as the ‘Derbi Barcelona’.
Again, there is a political aspect, with Espanyol not associated with the fight for Catalan independence, as FC Barcelona are. Yet when it comes to football, it is very much FC Barcelona that are the establishment, with Espanyol the underdogs. Here are the full history of FC Barcelona results against Espanyol.
| Number of Derbi Barceloni Matches | Barcelona Wins | Espanyol Wins | Draws |
| 214 | 125 | 44 | 45 |
FC Barcelona vs Juventus
A fellow European superpower that FC Barcelona enjoy a rivalry with are Juventus of Italy. The two clubs met in the final of the Champions League in the 2014-15 season, with FC Barcelona winning 3-1.
Juventus exacted some revenge in the 2016-17 season, when they beat FC Barcelona 3-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals. Since then they have twice been paired in the group stages, with FC Barcelona winning twice, losing one and drawing once.
FC Barcelona vs Chelsea
Another European team that FC Barcelona developed a rivalry with are Chelsea, an outfit based in the affluent part of West London. Unlike Juventus, the English capital club are not established football royalty, instead becoming a top side over recent years thanks to an influx of investment.
The teams have played 14 times in the Champions League, winning four each and drawing six times. They’ve twice met in the semi-finals, with Barcelona progressing in 2008-09 and Premier League heavyweights Chelsea reaching the final in 2011-12.
