FC Barcelona (aka Mes Que Un Club – More Than a Club) had its foundations laid on November 29, 1899, by Joan Gamper. The club is now considered one of the unique identities of the Catalan nation.
Going Down the Memory Lane of Football Club Barcelona 1
The Johan Cruyff Era from 1988-96 2
A little on the Swiss founder: Hans Max Gamper-Haessig (commonly known as Joan Gamper) was himself an athlete and later became a Football (or soccer in the US) executive who founded two clubs in his tenure: FC Zurich and FC Barcelona. The latter became famous because of the soccer DNA in Spain and turned out to be one of the most successful clubs in Europe.
After the club was founded it had to go through a wavy ride.
The different eras had a versatile impact on the club’s future and those can be seen in the club’s crest. The cross at the top left of the crest represents St. George’s Cross which is a philanthropist saint of Catalonia. The right top corner signifies the Catalan flag which has elements all around the club’s culture (Senyera kit, club’s merchandise, etc.).
The bottom half of the crest contains the typical garnet & blue colors of the club and a football (obviously).
Speaking of the current form of the team, the team from the Catalunya is struggling a bit. The club legend Xavi managing the team has decided to leave the team at the season’s end. The last game against Napoli was somewhat convincing. By the way, I live-streamed the game in 4k while connected to Cox Internet.
It is considered one of the most reliable ISPs in the US with internet speeds faster than 5G, flexible internet plans without contractual fuss, and above all supreme customer service tailored for Spanish speakers in the US is available on numero de cox en español. It’s a great plus one for all the sport fans like me.
The Golden Era from 1919-30
This was the time when the soccer team from Barcelona started to see glimpses of the glory that was yet to come in the future.
The team won multiple silverware and had a fierce rivalry at that time with Espanyol which was also based in Barcelona. This silverware attracted a massive (concerning that time) fanbase and the club had 10,000+ members who are called Socios now.
The team that achieved this greatness included players like Zamora, Sagi, Piera, Samitier, Alcantara, and last but not least, Sancho.
The silverware in this era includes five Spanish Championships (aka Copa Del Rey), eight Catalan Championships which were played against only Espanyol, and one league title (now known as LaLiga).
In this golden era, FC Barcelona built its first stadium which was named Les Corts. The inauguration of the stadium was held on May 20, 1922. At that time, it was considered one of the best soccer pitches in Europe with a capacity reaching 60,000 seats for spectators. The stadium saw 30 years of Golden period that is still cherished by the fans.
The Johan Cruyff Era from 1988-96
The time when Barca made its name as one of Europe’s elite teams thanks to the stylistic play coached by Johan Cruyff and the legendary players who supported his cause.
Between 1990-94 the team dominated (and it’s not even an exaggeration) with four consecutive LaLiga titles. In 1992 FC Barcelona under the supreme managerial competency of Cruyff one its first-ever European Title. Not just that, the team one is under a specific style of play that was considered as one of the most game played by a team and it led the foundation of a more beautiful style that was to come.
The Dream Team included these players: Amor, Juan Carlos, Ferrer, Nando, Julio Salinas, Serna, Alexanko, Zubizarreta, Bakero, Begiristain, Laudrup, Koeman, Stoichkov, Romário, Eusebio, Nadal, Guardiola, and Goikoetxea.
From 1988-96, FCB established themselves as one of the greatest teams that has graced this game of football.
The Best of All 2008-20
The era – outshined its past glory, outclassed every team that came their way, and broke records that were deemed unbreakable at one point, all while playing soccer gorgeously. One touch pass to dissect and open up the defenses, the chemistry between the players that grew up together playing in La Masia (more on that later), and a big list of silverware that FC Barcelona won.
The most notable period came in 2008 when Joan Laporta (president at that time) appointed Joseph Guardiola (an ex-Barcelona player) to take the most difficult job of coaching a team that didn’t win a single trophy for the past two seasons.
What did the Guardiola do? Much more than what was expected of him. He built a team from scratch and developed the homegrown players into literal monsters of the game. Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Valdes and more were the players overperformed under a system that was beautiful.
The team won sextuple in 2009 and it was the first team to ever achieve it. They won every trophy in which they participated.
By the time was 2012, Guardiola had run out of patience because of the constant politics around the Catalan Club.
After the legendary coach left, the team started to struggle. But again, rose back to the top of their game in 2015 under Luis Enrique when they won another treble with the Champions League, Copa del Rey, and the LaLiga.
After their last European glory in 2015, the team started to struggle again. The loss against Bayern and Liverpool later in the seasons saw them out of the favorite to win the Champions League, though, they kept their domination in the Spanish with back-to-back domestic silverware.