Main article: El Clásico Players jostle in Barcelona's 2–6 win against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in a 2009 El Clásico. In 1910, the first designs for an exclusive crest were submitted. It was a sleek shield which replaced the rhombus but still incorporated both the cross and the Catalan colours, alongside the introduction of the blue and red stripes in the bottom half of the badge that represented the colour of the team's early kits. Across the centre were the letters F.C.B - Football Club de Barcelona. FC Barcelona had a successful start in regional and national cups, competing in the Campionat de Catalunya and the Copa del Rey. In 1901, the club participated in the very first football competition played on the Iberian Peninsula, the Copa Macaya, narrowly losing to Hispania AC, but in the following year, Barça won the tournament, the club's first-ever piece of silverware, [27] and then participated in the first Copa del Rey, losing 1–2 to Bizcaya (a combination of players from Athletic Club and Bilbao FC) in the final. [28] In 1908, Hans Gamper – now known as Joan Gamper – became club president in a desperate attempt to save Barcelona from extinction, finding the club struggling not just on the pitch, but also financially and socially, after not winning a competition since the Campionat de Catalunya in 1905. He said in a meeting, "Barcelona cannot die and must not die. If there is nobody who is going to try, then I will assume the responsibility of running the club from now on." [29] Club president on five separate occasions between 1908 and 1925, he spent 25 years in total at the helm. One of his main achievements was ensuring Barça acquire its own stadium and thus generate a stable income. [30]

The song was first performed on 27 November 1974 at the Camp Nou stadium before the match between FC Barcelona and the East Germany national team by a 3,500-man choir led by Oriol Martorell. On November 28, 1988, in celebration of the club's centenary, the song was performed by Catalan singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat at the end of the festival at the Camp Nou stadium. Since the 2008–09 season, el Cant del Barça has been featured on the official Barcelona jerseys. Aguilar, Paco (10 December 1998). "Barca– Much more than just a Club". FIFA. Archived from the original on 7 May 2009 . Retrieved 10 May 2009.Barcelona v Chelsea: Pep Guardiola keeps calm as Nou Camp critics question selection and tactics". The Daily Telegraph. London. 24 April 2012. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018 . Retrieved 3 April 2018. On 16 March 1938, Barcelona came under aerial bombardment from the Italian Air Force, causing more than 3,000 deaths, with one of the bombs hitting the club's offices. [51] [52] A few months later, Catalonia came under occupation and as a symbol of the "undisciplined" Catalanism, the club, now down to just 3,486 members, faced a number of restrictions. All signs of regional nationalism, including language, flag and other signs of separatism were banned throughout Spain. The Catalan flag was banned and the club were prohibited from using non-Spanish names. These measures forced the club to change its name to Club de Fútbol Barcelona and to remove the Catalan flag from its crest. [53] A prolific forward, László Kubala led Barcelona to success in the 1950s. His statue is built outside the Camp Nou. Deal with Liverpool to sign Mascherano". FC Barcelona. 27 August 2010. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012 . Retrieved 4 June 2011. On 14 June 1925, in a spontaneous reaction against Primo de Rivera's dictatorship, the crowd in the stadium jeered the Royal March. As a reprisal, the ground was closed for six months and Gamper was forced to relinquish the presidency of the club. [42] This coincided with the transition to professional football, and, in 1926, the directors of Barcelona publicly claimed, for the first time, to operate a professional football club. [38] Team of FC Barcelona, published on El Gráfico, 1926 Barca agree Villa move with Valencia". FC Barcelona. 19 May 2010. Archived from the original on 2 August 2012 . Retrieved 4 June 2011.

As early as the 1930s, Barcelona "had developed a reputation as a symbol of Catalan identity, opposed to the centralising tendencies of Madrid". [201] [202] In 1936, when Francisco Franco started the Coup d'état against the democratic Second Spanish Republic, the president of Barcelona, Josep Sunyol, member of the Republican Left of Catalonia and Deputy to The Cortes, was arrested and executed without trial by Franco's troops [203] (Sunyol was exercising his political activities, visiting Republican troops north of Madrid). [201] During the dictatorships of Miguel Primo de Rivera and especially Francisco Franco, all regional languages and identities in Spain were frowned upon and restrained. As such, most citizens of Barcelona were in strong opposition to the fascist-like regime. In this period, Barcelona gained their motto Més que un club ( English: More than a club) because of its alleged connection to Catalan nationalist as well as to progressive beliefs. [204] One of Barcelona's rivals in European football is Italian club AC Milan. [219] [220] [221] [222] The team against which Barcelona has played the most matches (19), it is also the third most played match in European club competitions, behind Real Madrid–Juventus (21) and Real Madrid–Bayern Munich (26). [223] [224] [225] Two of the most successful clubs in Europe, Milan has won seven European Cups to Barça's five, while both clubs have won a record five European Super Cups. [226] Barcelona and Milan have won other continental titles, which make them the second and third most decorated teams in world football, with 19 and 14 titles respectively, both behind Real Madrid's 23. [227]Spain's football team welcomed by royals". The New Nation. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 11 July 2018 . Retrieved 10 August 2010. Barcelona defends Asian tour". Sydney Morning Herald. 3 August 2007. Archived from the original on 16 September 2023 . Retrieved 11 March 2010. Segura, Anna (7 February 2012). "Laureus Award tops off a year of recognition". FC Barcelona. Archived from the original on 24 October 2017 . Retrieved 24 October 2017.

Former Results". International Federation of Football History & Statistics. Archived from the original on 15 June 2018 . Retrieved 16 December 2014. Messi, Marta, Mourinho and Neid crowned as the best of 2010". FIFA. 10 January 2011. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013 . Retrieved 10 January 2012. El Barça de les Cinc Copes is the first team in Spanish football to have won five trophies in a single season (1951–1952). [263] [264] [265] Barcelona is the only club to have played in every season of European competitions since they started in 1955 counting non- UEFA competition Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. [266] [267] On 18 December 2009, alongside being the only Spanish club to achieve a continental treble, Barcelona became the first ever European football team to win six trophies in a calendar year ( Sextuple). [268] [269] In January 2018, Barcelona signed Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool for €120 million, the highest transfer fee in club's history. [270] [271] In August 2017, Barcelona player Neymar transferred to Paris Saint-Germain for a world record transfer fee of €222 million. [272] [273]Barcelona vs. Paris Saint-Germain – Football Match Report – March 8, 2017". ESPN. Archived from the original on 29 December 2020 . Retrieved 15 March 2017. Barcelona will not punish Eto'o". BBC Sport. 14 February 2007. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012 . Retrieved 11 August 2010. There is often a fierce rivalry between the two strongest teams in a national league, and this is particularly the case in La Liga, where the game between Barcelona and Real Madrid is known as "The Classic" ( El Clásico). From the start of national competitions the clubs were seen as representatives of two rival regions in Spain: Catalonia and Castile, as well as of the two cities. The rivalry reflects what many regard as the political and cultural tensions felt between Catalans and the Castilians, seen by one author as a re-enactment of the Spanish Civil War. [199] Over the years, the head-to-head record between the two clubs is 102 victories for Madrid, 100 victories for Barcelona, and 52 draws. [200] Barcelona fans creating a mosaic of the Catalan flag before a 2012 El Clasico at the Camp Nou El Barça se corona por aplastamiento" (in Spanish). MARCA. 13 May 2009. Archived from the original on 25 December 2010 . Retrieved 3 August 2023.