FC Barcelona is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Catalan, German, and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism.
It is the third-most valuable football club in the world, worth $5.6 billion, and the world’s fourth richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €800.1 million.
Barcelona are one of the world’s most decorated clubs. Domestically, Barcelona has won a record 81 trophies: 28 La Liga, 32 Copa del Rey, 2 Copa de la Liga, 16 Supercopa de España and 3 Copa Eva Duarte titles, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barça has won 22 European and worldwide titles: five UEFA Champions League titles, a record four UEFA Cup Winners’ Cups, a record three Inter-Cities Fairs Cups, five UEFA Super Cups, a joint record two Latin Cups and three FIFA Club World Cups.
Barcelona players have won a joint record twelve Ballon d’Or awards, with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record six FIFA World Player of the Year awards, with winners including Romário, Ronaldo, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi. In 2010, three players who came through the club’s youth academy—Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi—were chosen as the three best players in the world in the Ballon d’Or ranking, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football academy. Additionally, players representing the club have won a record eight European Golden Shoe awards.
Also Read: Barcelona Confirm Plans For Lionel Messi Statue
List of FC Barcelona Captains
| Years | Captain |
|---|---|
| 1950–1951 | César |
| 1951–1955 | Mariano Gonzalvo |
| 1955–1964 | Joan Segarra |
| 1964–1969 | Ferran Olivella |
| 1969–1972 | Josep Maria Fusté |
| 1972–1975 | Antoni Torres |
| 1975–1976 | Joaquim Rifé |
| 1976–1978 | Johan Cruyff (first foreign captain) |
| 1978–1980 | Juan Manuel Asensi |
| 1980–1982 | Antonio Olmo |
| 1982–1984 | Tente Sánchez |
| 1984–1986 | Bernd Schuster |
| 1986–1987 | Víctor Muñoz |
| 1987–1992 | José Ramón Alexanko |
| 1992–1993 | Andoni Zubizarreta (goalkeeper captain) |
| 1993–1996 | José Mari Bakero |
| 1996–1997 | Gheorghe Popescu |
| 1997–2001 | Pep Guardiola |
| 2001–2002 | Sergi Barjuán |
| 2002–2004 | Luis Enrique |
| 2004–2014 | Carles Puyol (longest-serving & one of the most successful) |
| 2014–2015 | Xavi |
| 2015–2018 | Andrés Iniesta |
| 2018–2021 | Lionel Messi (first non-European captain) |
| 2021–2023 | Sergio Busquets |
| 2023–2024 | Sergi Roberto |
| 2024–2025 | Marc-André ter Stegen |
| 2025–present | Ronald Araújo (current primary captain) |
