legends of barca

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/jugadors_llegenda.html

entrenador

http://www.fcbarcelona.com/web/english/club/historia/entrenadors.html

http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/club/club_avui/territori_barca/fcbmuseu/index.htmlhttp://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/club/club_avui/territori_barca/fcbmuseu/index.html

http://www.fcbarcelona.cat/web/english/club/club_avui/territori_barca/fcbmuseu/index.html

HISTORY OF FC BARCELONA

On November 29, 1899, Hans Gamper founded Futbol Club Barcelona, along with eleven other enthusiasts of 'foot-ball', a game that was still largely unknown in this part of the world.

He could never have imagined the magnitude of what that initiative would eventually develop into. Over more than one hundred years of history, FC Barcelona has grown spectacularly in every area and has progressed into something much greater than a mere sports club, turning Barça’s ‘more than a club’ slogan into a reality.

Barça has become, for millions of people all around the world, a symbol of their identity, and not just in a sporting sense, but also in terms of society, politics and culture. Throughout the most difficult of times, Barça was the standard that represented Catalonia and the Catalan people's desire for freedom, a symbolism that has continued to be closely linked to the idiosyncrasy of the Club and its members to this day. Within the context of Spain, Barça is seen as an open and democratic club. And all around the world, Barça is identified with caring causes, and most especially children through its sponsorship agreement with Unicef.

For a whole century, FC Barcelona has passed through moments of glory and pain, periods of brilliance and other less successful ones, epic victories and humbling defeats. But all these different moments have helped define the personality of a Club that, due to its peculiar nature, is considered unique in the world.

With over one hundred years of history, there have naturally been many different periods, both in a social and a sporting sense. In the early years (1899-1922) , from the foundation of the club to the construction of Les Corts stadium, Barça was a club that had to distinguish itself from all the other football teams in Barcelona, to the point that it would come to be identified with the city as a whole. Barça soon became the leading club in Catalonia, and also associated itself with the increasingly growing sense of Catalan national identity.

From Les Corts to the Camp Nou (1922-1957), the club went through contrasting periods. Its membership reached 10,000 for the first time, while football developed into a mass phenomenon and turned professional, and these were the years of such legendary figures as Alcántara and Samitier. But due to material difficulties and the political troubles of the Spanish Civil War and post-war period, the club was forced to overcome several adverse circumstances, including the assassination of president Josep Sunyol in 1936, the very person who had propagated the slogan ‘sport and citizenship'. But the club survived, and a period of social and sporting recovery materialised in the form of the Camp Nou, coinciding with the arrival of the hugely influential Ladislau Kubala.

From the construction of the Camp Nou to the 75th anniversary (1957-1974) , Barça suffered mediocre results but was consolidated as an entity, with a constantly increasing membership and the slow but steady recovery, in the face of adversity, of its identity. A very clear sensation that was manifested for the first time ever in the words ‘Barça, more than a club’ proclaimed by president Narcís de Carreras. The board presided by Agustí Montal brought a player to Barcelona who would change the history of the club, Johan Cruyff.

From the 7th anniversary to the European Cup (1974-1992) the club saw the conversion of football clubs to democracy, the start of Josep Lluís Núñez’s long presidency, the extension of the Camp Nou on occasion of the 1982 World Cup and the Cup Winners Cup triumph in Basle (1979), a major success not just in a sporting sense but also in a social one, with an enormous and exemplary expedition of Barça supporters demonstrating to Europe the unity of the Barcelona and Catalan flags. Cruyff returned, this time as coach, and created what would come to be known as the 'Dream Team' (1990-1994), whose crowning glory was the conquest of the European Cup at Wembley (1992), thanks to Koeman’s famous goal.
 International Dominance. From Wembley to Abu Dhabi (1992-2009) was when the club’s most recent developments occurred in between its three greatest achievements, becoming champions of Europe. Josep Lluís Núñez’s long presidency came to an end, and the club displayed its finest potential during the celebrations of the club Centenary. Following on from Joan Gaspart (2000-2003), the June 2003 election brought Joan Laporta into office, and the start of new social expansion, reaching 172,938 members, and more successes on the pitch, including four league titles, the Champions League titles won in Paris and Rome and the FIFA Club World Cup.
In the season 2008-09 the arrival of Josep Guardiola as first team coach brought new energy to the club and they recorded the most successful season in their entire history winning the six titles that will be forever burned into the memories of all Barça fans. Success on the field has helped the club expand its social role and heighten its media profile. In the 2009/10 season, Guardiola’s second in charge, the Liga title was won for the second year in a row, and the twentieth on club history, setting a new record of 99 points in the process. The title was not decided until the very last day, with a game against Valladolid, and the celebrations went ahead that very same evening in the company of the fans at the Camp Nou.
The grandeur of Futbol Club Barcelona is explained, among many other factors, by its impressive honours list. Very few clubs anywhere in the world have won so many titles. The Intercontinental Cup is the only major football trophy that has never made its way into the club museum, where the club's greatest pride and joy remain the three European Cup titles won in Wembley (1992) Paris (2006), Rome (2009) and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2009.

Apart from winning Europe’s top title,, the Club also has the honour of being the only one to have appeared in every single edition of European club competition since the tournaments were first created back in 1955. Barcelona's many achievements in Europe include being considered 'King of the Cup Winners Cup', having won that title a record four times
In addition, FC Barcelona also won three Fairs Cups (the tournament now known as the UEFA Cup) in 1958, 1960 and 1966. In 1971, Barça won that trophy outright in a match played between themselves, as the first ever winners of the competition, and Leeds United, as the last.

Presidents

Sandro Rosell i Feliu (2010 - )

Sandro Rosell assumed the role of president of the club on July 1, 2010, after enjoying an overwhelming victory in the elections on June 13, where he secured 61.35 per cent of a record turn-out of 57,088 voters.

Having been linked with sport for many years Rosell takes over at the helm of FC Barcelona from Joan Laporta with an extensive knowledge of how the club operates and of the world of football. A graduate in company administration he gained an MBA at ESADE and has worked in sport marketing and football. Rosell is a founding member of Bonus Sports Marketing company and has previously worked in Nike's Marketing Department ahead of the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He is the son of Jaume Rosell, who was general manager of Barça during the presidency of Agustí Montal.

Having been a club member since October 4, 1970, Rosell has always been linked with Barça and with football and was a ballboy in Camp Nou, like Pep Guardiola, when young. The new president played regularly for Penya Barcelonista de Collblanc and appeared for l'Hospitalet in the Spanish third tier, la Segunda B.

Rosell worked at Barça after being a member of Laporta's board of directors that won the election in 2003 under the slogan 'Primer el Barça' (Barça First) and was instrumental in bringing Ronaldinho to the club. He was also key in the social and sporting turnaround that the club enjoyed in his role as sporting vice president. On June 2, 2005 Rosell stepped down from his role after a difference of opinion with the board.

Five years later and Rosell led his own party in the presidential elections under the banner 'Tots som el Barça' (We are all Barça) after he had listened to fans and their desires for two years. He wants to bring about the dream of his father and drive the club on to further success both domestically and around the world.

Joan Laporta i Estruch (2003-2010)

Joan Laporta i Estruch (Barcelona, 1962) became president after a clear victory in the elections held on 15th June 2003. He received 27,138 votes (52.7%), well ahead of Lluís Bassat, who received 16,412 votes, and the other four candidates.

A new generation of young, dynamic directors came into the Club with Laporta and generated a real shake-up of the Club. They popularized the expression “virtuous circle”, which aimed to strengthen the Club economically and socially and prepare the ground for a winning team that would nurture the social dimension of the Club. With this concept as their starting point, the Board initiated a campaign to recruit new members called “The Great Challenge”, at the same time proposing to eradicate violent groups from the Camp Nou. Alongside this a number of other innovative measures were set up, such as holding Board meetings in different parts of Catalonia while reinforcing communication with the fans through the revitalization of the Barca magazine and a determined drive to promote the Club’s TV station, which took the name of Barca TV.
In addition, the Foundation embarked on a new phase, characterized by a change of orientation and became the social identity par excellence of FC Barcelona, the heart and soul of the Club, with more ambitious objectives and new action programmes. During Laporta’s mandate, the values which had traditionally characterized Barca were strengthened: Catalan identity, public-spiritedness, solidarity and universality.

In footballing terms, the first season, with Frank Rijkaard as manager, saw the incorporation of the Brazilian international Ronaldinho, who raised enormous expectations. The team improved match by match and finished as runners up in the league. The following season, 2004-2005, featured the signings of Eto’o and Deco, key elements in winning the league title for the first time in six years. The expectations raised by that team were confirmed the following season when, as well as renewing their league title, they also won the Champions League in Paris against Arsenal, the second European Cup in the Club’s history.

Despite such a successful record, which made the president extremely popular, the law courts ruled that the first ten days of his mandate, from 20th to 30th June 2003, were equivalent to a whole season, which forced the Board to call elections in September 2006, at a moment of maximum popularity having achieved two league titles and the Champions League. Laporta stood for re-election and received the signatures of 8,994 members backing his candidacy. He was the only candidate to reach the minimum number and was therefore automatically re-elected.

The 2006-2007 season started with the signing of the agreement with UNICEF, in which the Club committed itself to collaborate economically and in addition wear the UNICEF logo on the shirts of the football team. This was an unprecedented move designed to strengthen the strategy of converting Barca into ‘more than a club’ throughout the world. On a sporting level, the season witnessed a winding down of previous success; despite winning the Spanish Super Cup, the elimination from the Kings Cup at the hands of Getafe and the loss of the league in the final matches created a mood of despondency, which the Board tried to mitigate with the signing of Henry, followed shortly after by Toure Yaya and Abidal.

In the 2007-08 season, the Club celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Camp Nou and set up an international competition for the remodelling of the stadium. This was won by the British architect Norman Foster. At the same time the Club was one of the promoters of the European Clubs Association (ECA), presided by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, and of which Joan Laporta became vice-president. Meanwhile, the season was more disappointing than the previous one and it was soon clear that the team wasn’t working as it should. Rijkaard’s time had come to an end. Reluctantly, Laporta had to sack him. Ronaldinho, the player who had symbolized the return of hope in 2003, also left.


In June 2008, Josep Guardiola was appointed first team manager. The year before he had taken over the reserve side, Barcelona B, when they were on the verge of promotion to Second Division B. However, the season was ending in a mood of disappointment and a group of members put forward a vote of censure against the Board of Directors. They obtained enough support to force the vote on 6th July 2008. 39,389 members voted and 60.6% voted in favour of the vote of censure, a figure below that of 66.6% required by the statutes to force the resignation of the president. After this result, eight directors left the Board but president Laporta replaced them and continued in office and was ratified by the representative assembly in August.

After this complex interlude, the most brilliant season in the history of the club began. The football first team achieved success in every competition in which they took part, with some memorable matches such as the 2-6 win in the Santiago Bernabeu. The team won the Kings Cup, then the league and finally the Champions League against Manchester United in Rome, the third European Cup in the Club’s history. At the beginning of the next season, this list of titles was extended to include the Spanish Super Cup, the European Super Cup and the World Club Cup, making this Barca the team of the Six Cups. The World Club Cup won in Abu Dhabi against Estudiantes de la Plata (2-1) was the only competition never won before by the Club. President Laporta was then able to round off his mandate with another league title in the 2009-10 season.

In short, in Joan Laporta’s seven years as president, the football team won the World Club Cup, two European Cups, the European Super Cup, four league titles, the Kings Cup, three Spanish Super Cups and three Copes Catalunya. In the economic and social areas, the figures speak for themselves. The annual budget increased from 170 to 445,5 million euros and the membership rose from 106,135 to 173,701.

Managing Commission (2006)

A judicial sentence reached the verdict that the mandate of the Board of Directors led by Joan Laporta had expired on June 30, 2006. Therefore, the Barça board resigned and constituted a Managing Commission.

In accordance with club regulations, the Managing Commission was chaired by the president of the Statutory Economic Commission.

The members of this Managing Commission were the president Xavier Sala i Martín; vice-president Carles Murillo i Fort; secretary Agustí Bassols i Pascual; vice-secretary Josep Ensesa i Viñas; treasurer Joan Torras i Gómez; and board members Albert Esteve i Cruella, Joan Molins i Amat, Pere Riba i Masjuan, and Sebastià Roca i Roquer.

The Managing Commission began its duties on July 26, and focused on calling elections, which were announced for September 3. The only presidential candidate to present the required number of signatures was Joan Laporta, so he was automatically proclaimed president on August 22, on occasion of the Joan Gamper Trophy match.

The Managing Commission presided by Xavier Sala i Martín was in power for 28 days, a period during which the first team went on a tour of Mexico and the United States, and also won the Spanish Super Cup by winning the two-legged encounter with Espanyol.

Interim administrative committee

After the collective resignation of the Board of Directors presided by Enric Reyna on 6th May, an interim administrative committee, headed by the president of the Statutory-Economic commission, took over the management of the Club as indicated by the Club Statutes. The committee was made up of fifteen members and governed the Club until the elections on 15th June.

The members of the committee were: president Joan Trayter; vice president Enric Lacalle; treasurer Jordi Pintó; vice treasurer Antoni Cardoner; committee members Pere Perpiña, Lluís Vilajoana, Lluís Mundet, Josep Ignasi Parellada, Amador Bernabéu, Agustí Montoliu, Elisabeth Cardoner, Maria Teresa Andreu and Joan Molas; vice secretary Francesc Oliveras and secretary Josep Maria Coronas.
During this short but intense period, the committee called presidential elections which have gone down in Club history for the highest level of participation (51'618 votes, 54'7percent of the electoral census) and which were won by the group led by Joan Laporta. During this month and a half, the basketball section won the European League while the handball section added another Spanish league.

Enric Reyna i Martínez (2003)

Enric Reyna Martínez became president of FC Barcelona on February 12, 2003, after Joan Gaspart had publicly announced that he was resigning from the position.

In compliance with Club Regulations, Enric Reyna became caretaker president of the club until an extraordinary general assembly was held on May 5, 2003. Then, following the simultaneous resignation of the entire Enric Reyna board, the baton was passed on to a Managing Commission, presided by Joan Trayter, who took control over the club until elections were held on June 15.
A property promoter by trade and a club member since September 15, 1965, Reyna had been a board member since the year 2000, during the Joan Gaspart presidency, and vice president from December 2002, before becoming the 37th president in the history of the club. During the almost three months he spent at the helm of FC Barcelona, the club won three major honours: the basketball and roller hockey teams won their respective Spanish Cups, and the handball team collected the EHF Cup.

Joan Gaspart i Solves (2000-2003)

Joan Gaspart i Solves became president of FC Barcelona on July 23, 2000, following an election with an extraordinarily high turnout (45,888 votes were cast, almost half the members with a right to vote).

Joan Gaspart won 25,181 votes (54.87% of the total), 5,390 more than the candidacy led by Lluís Bassat. Joan Gaspart thus became the 36th president of Futbol Club Barcelona.

Before becoming club president, Joan Gaspart had been vice president for 22 years under Josep Lluís Núñez.

In his first year in charge, Joan Gaspart set about reforming the club regulations, which would have a major affect on the membership list. Before making these modifications, he consulted the members to find out their opinions about the most important issues affecting these reforms. He also promoted the creation of the Club’s ethical code and got plans under way for the construction of the Joan Gamper sports complex in Sant Joan Despí, for which the first stone was laid on December 11, 2000. It was also his presidency that set up the ‘Seient Lliure’ (Free Seat) and ‘Gent del Barça’ (Barça People) projects that would help extend and improve the services on offer to members.

But despite these achievements, sporting success was scarce, and in February 2003, Gaspart resigned as president without the football first team having won any official titles during his time in office. He was replaced by his vice president, Enric Reyna.

Josep Lluís Núñez (1978-2000)

On May 6, 1978, Josep Lluís Núñez (Barakaldo, 1931) won the presidential elections by a narrow margin.

Candidates Ferran Ariño and Nicolau Casaus with 9,537 and 6,202 votes respectively came short of the 10,352 votes that made Josep Lluís Núñez the 35th president in the history of Fútbol Club Barcelona. He came into office on July 1, 1978.
Unlike most of the presidents before him, Nuñez had never been on the board of directors, but this well-known entrepreneur from the property sector had won through on the back of a campaign using the slogan ‘For a triumphant Barça’, and he would go on to become the longest-serving president in the entire history of the club.
Josep Lluís Núñez’s first major task was to sort out the club’s financial problems, but he also had a bigger goal than that, none other than to make FC Barcelona the biggest football institution in the world. During his 22 years in power, Barça would expand spectacularly. The Camp Nou was remodelled and the Miniestadi built next to it (1982) along with the Museum (1984) and a residency for youth players at La Masía.
With Núñez in command, the football team won a host of titles both at home and abroad, while the three other professional sports teams (basketball, handball and roller hockey) were consolidated in a big way and went on to set new standards around Europe.
One year after Nuñez took up the reigns, Barça won the Cup Winners Cup in Basle, the first major title of his presidency. That final will always be remembered for the thousands of fans that journeyed to Switzerland to support the team. In 1982, with Udo Lattek as coach, Barça won another Cup Winners Cup, beating Standard Liege in the final at the Camp Nou, which had just been expanded, as it was to be one of the main stadiums used at the forthcoming World Cup. Fútbol Club Barcelona topped 100,000 members for the first time and so much money was coming into the club that Nuñez was able to sign a man who was considered the best player in the world at the time, Diego Armando Maradona.
The club kept on growing, and in 1984-85 Núñez was able to celebrate his second league title as president, and won another period of office after winning the elections unopposed. Harder times were around the corner though, with defeat in the 1986 European Cup Final in Seville, a major disappointment that was the catalyst for the first crisis of the Nuñez years, what was known as the ‘Hesperia Mutiny’ (1988) and that ended with almost the entire squad being dismissed.
This led to a whole new period in Josep Lluís Núñez’s presidency. The board signed Johan Cruyff, and the Dutch coach built up what would go on to be dubbed the Dream Team, delighting the whole of Europe with their spectacular play and finally winning Barça’s first ever European Cup at Wembley in May 1992, along with an unprecedented four consecutive league championships and several other titles besides. This was undoubtedly his finest period in terms of sporting success, and he was re-elected to the presidency for the third time when he beat Sixte Cambra by 25,441 votes to 17,609 in 1989. In 1993 he would win a fourth term of office, this time unopposed.
After eight years, the relationship between coach and president had become strained, and Nuñez decided to put an end to the Cruyff era and brought in Bobby Robson to fill in while he awaited the arrival of Louis van Gaal, the man he had singled out to take the club into the future. The year the veteran Englishman coached Barça will always be remembered for the presence at the club of the brilliant Brazilian Ronaldo, whose amazing performances thrilled the crowds en route to the European Cup Winners Cup, Spanish Cup and Spanish Super Cup. That same 1997, Núñez was re-elected for the final time after winning 76 per cent of the votes ahead of 24 per cent for his rival, Àngel Fernández. A few months after, the president had to overcome a motion of censure presented by the opposition group called El Elefant Blau.
Meanwhile, Louis van Gaal was putting together a team that would win two Leagues and one Cup in his first two seasons. But his trophy-less third season and patent inability to win over the affection of the fans brought Van Gaal’s first period as Barça coach to an untimely end. Support for Nuñez was waning too, which was more than evident in the club’s centenary year, and eventually led him to resign from the position and bring forward the elections, thus leaving the job after 22 years in charge of the club.
Naturally, as Nuñez was in charge of the club for the longest period in club history, he also won more titles than any other president. In football alone, under Nuñez the club won 7 League, 6 Spanish Cups, 5 Spanish Super Cups, 2 League Cups, 1 European Cups, 4 Cup Winners Cups, 2 European Super Cups and 3 Catalan Cups. 

 

Raimon Carrasco i Azemar (1977-1978)

This caretaker president was the son of demochristian politician Manuel Carrasco i Formiguera, who was shot dead by Franco’s troops during the Civil War.

Raimon Carrasco (Barcelona, 1924) was a member of the board during the presidency of Agustí Montal i Costa (from December 18, 1969 to December 18, 1977), first as secretary and then as vice president.
He became interim president on December 18, 1977, and remained in the post until July 1, 1978, the day that Josep Lluís Núñez effectively stepped into the president’s role. During Raimon Carrasco’s temporary presidency, a transitional period that he was able to deal with professionally and efficiently, the club won its eighteenth Copa de Rey by beating Las Palmas in the final, 3-1. He was responsible for overseeing the first free and democratic elections at the club since the Civil War. 

Josep Vendrell (1943-1946)

The twenty-sixth chairman in Barcelona’s history was Josep Vendrell, an army colonel who fought on Franco’s side in the Civil War and at the time was the Government Delegate for Public Order in La Coruña.

Vendrell was appointed by the government as the right person for a post which they wanted to see held by people linked to Franco’s regime.

During his term of office, which began on 22 September 1943, good relations with the regime’s federation and sports bodies, which had deteriorated after the Chamartín scandal, were restored.

In general, Vendrell’s time as chairman was positive as the club reached 22,000 members and the Les Corts ground was extended. In addition Barça won its second League title (44-45) and the Gold Cup.

After three years at the helm of the club, Josep Vendrell left his post on 20 September 1946.

Enric Martí Carreto (1952-1953)

Enric Martí had been vice president under Agustí Montal and became his right hand man, and was therefore his logical successor.

When Martí became president on July 16, 1952, he inherited a triumphant club and his challenge was to keep the momentum flowing.
In the only season that Enric Martí was in command at Fútbol Club Barcelona, the team won the League, Cup and the Copa Eva Duarte, but that positive dynamic was broken by the controversy of the ‘Di Stefano case’, which led him to resign from the position.
Barça, who had already made an advance to River, the club that owned the rights to the Argentinian star, saw how Real Madrid came to an agreement with Millonarios Bogotá, where Di Stéfano was currently playing on loan. Although FIFA considered Barça to be in their legal rights and the Argentinian had already arrived at Fútbol Club Barcelona, the Spanish Federation, under pressure from state organisations and Real Madrid, stood in the way of the transfer and thus prevented Di Stéfano from ever making his official debut for FC Barcelona. The situation was prolonged for more than three months reaching the point of becoming unbearable, whereupon the National Delegation of Physical Education and Sport passed a judgement prohibiting clubs from signing foreign players, and so Fútbol Club Barcelona decided to sell the Argentinian on to Juventus.
But Real Madrid had not given up on Di Stéfano, and the Spanish authorities eventually came to decision akin to the judgement of Solomon. The Argentinian star would play for Real Madrid in the 1953-54 and 1955-56 seasons, and for Barça in 1954-55 and 1956-57. President Enric Martí signed the agreement, but was so widely criticised for doing so that he was forced to announce his resignation on September 22, 1953.
A few weeks later, Fútbol Club Barcelona decided to withdraw their claim to the player and so it was that Real Madrid signed Di Stéfano on a permanent basis.

 

 

Francesc Miró-Sans (1953-1961)

After Enric Martí resigned, given the gap in legislation, presidential elections were called by universal suffrage.

Miró-Sans (Barcelona, 1918-1989) defeated Amat Casajuana by only 311 votes and became the latest president of Fútbol Club Barcelona on December 23, 1953.
In a sporting sense, Barça won their first European titles, two Fairs Cups, while on the domestic scene, they won two Leagues and two Cups. The other major development under Miró-Sans was the completion of the Camp Nou stadium, which was inaugurated on September 24, 1957, a major leap forward for the club, which now had a wonderful new home that could meet the needs of its rapidly growing membership.
In 1958, Miró-Sans became the first Barça president to be re-elected, although these were very different to previous ones, as they were decided by drawing the names of 200 members by lots, and it was these who had to decide who would run the club. Francesc Miró-Sans easily defeated the other candidate Antoni Palés with 75 per cent of the votes. But some of his decisions led to disagreements at the club, which complicated his position to the point that it became unsustainable. So, on February 28, 1961, one year before his second term was due to end, Miró-Sans handed in his resignation. 

Enric Llaudet (1961-1968)

After Miró-Sans resigned, new elections for the presidency of Fútbol Club Barcelona were called in June 1961.

Two of the members of the previous board were in the running: Jaume Fuset and Enric Llaudet (Barcelona, 1916-2003), with the latter winning through. Llaudet based his manifesto on ten points, some of which were extremely interesting, though perhaps less innovative than those presented by his opponent. The more outstanding aspects of his candidacy included the creation of internal regulations, the calling of a referendum to decide on the future of Les Corts stadium, economic austerity, amateurism in the sections and the creation of a school-residence for young players.
The elections were held on June 7, 1961 and Llaudet defeated Fuset by an incredibly narrow margin of just 24 votes. The new president was going to have to deal with several difficulties in terms of both finances and sporting success. One of the measures he took was to solve the club’s financial troubles by requalifying the Les Corts site, which led to extensive negotiations with the Barcelona City Council. Finally, in the summer of 1962, the Council agreed to the club’s request and in 1966 the old ground was sold for 226 million, a figure that was enough to stabilise the FC Barcelona coffers.
It was precisely this operation that gave Llaudet the credibility he needed to comfortably get through the next election in 1965, at which he defeated Josep Maria Vendrell by 164 votes to 35. In the summer of 1966, the club was in an optimistic mood, and Llaudet created the Joan Gamper Trophy. But the 1966-67 season was a major failure in a sporting sense, and Llaudet was faced by heavy opposition that seriously questioned his management methods and put pressure on him to resign.
At the end of the season, the Barcelona president responded to the opposition by constituting a Consultant Council formed by representative members of the club, but this initiative did not produce the expected results. It was under those circumstances that Llaudet went into the Assembly of delegates in a highly precarious position indeed and he decided to bring the next election date forward to the following January, and did not stand for them himself. Before leaving the post, on January 17, 1968, Llaudet called for the creation of a single candidacy in order to avoid an election campaign that could prove damaging to the club. Narcís de Carreras was named as the man, and was elected president by acclamation.


 

Narcís de Carreras (1968-1969)

Narcís de Carreras (La Bisbal d'Empordà, 1905- Barcelona, 1991) became president of Fútbol Club Barcelona on January 17, 1968 after standing in the name of a united front.

It was during his acceptance speech that he coined what would go on to become the club slogan: “Barça is more than a club”. Carreras was a distinguished figure in Catalan society, and had been Cambó’s personal secretary in his younger years. He was a lawyer with liberal and democratic ideas (although he did have a possibilist attitude to Francoism, for which reason he once stood for Spanish parliament) and had already formed part of the Barcelona board as vice president under Montal senior and Enric Martí. Under the latter he played a particularly important role in the infamous ‘Di Stefano case’, although his interventions did not manage to avoid failure. Following the resignation of Martí, his intention was to stand for election, but pressure from the Falangists prevented him from doing so.
As president, Carreras wished to include representatives of different Barça families on the board, but this initiative, which was a good one in principle, ended up being the cause of no end of problems and confrontations between different members of the board. The 1968-69 season was especially critical as a result of the controversial signing of manager Helenio Herrera. Until then, Salvador Artigas had been first team coach and his contract had only just been renewed. But while Barcelona were on an American tour, a board meeting was discussing whether or not it might have been a better idea to employ Helenio Herrera. A vote was held, and eleven favoured Herrera and seven opposed him. The signing of a replacement coach meant Artigas’ contract was automatically terminated.
Three members of the board immediately travelled to Italy to negotiate with Helenio Herrera and the terms of the eventual agreement were for the Argentinian manager to earn more than twice the amount that Artigas was getting. This would have serious financial repercussions for the club and the supporters’ opinions were divided on the matter, which led to the board deciding to change their minds and Salvador Artigas stayed on in the job.
Carreras played an unfortunate role in this messy affair, for just when the controversy had hit its peak, he was away at a meeting with the Fairs Cup Organising Committee in Budapest. He had left the matter in the hands of his vice president Pere Baret, which cast serious doubts on his authority, and there were calls in many part for Carreras to resign. Finally, on December 18, 1969, Carreras stepped down from his position as president. 

FC Barcelona Records

• Record attendance at the Camp Nou

  120,000 people
  120,000 people for FC Barcelona v Juventus, first leg of the European Cup quarter final (5/03/1986).
  

• Year with the most titles

  2009
  6: Spanish Cup, League, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and World Club Cup (a world record).
  

• The only team in the Spanish league to have won all the official competitions at least once

  From the Copa Macaya (1902) to the World Club Cup (2009).
  

• Team with the most official titles in the Spanish league

  106
  

• Season with most titles

  1951/52
  5: League, Cup, Copa Llatina, Trofeu Eva Duarte and Copa Martini-Rossi
  

• Year with most titles

  2009
  6: Copa del Rei, League, Champions League, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup and World Club Cup (a world record)
  

• Only team to have appeared in every year of Continental competition

  since they first started in 1955.
  

• Only Spanish team to win the treble

  Barca won the Copa del Rei, Spanish League and the Champions League in the 2008/09 season
  

• Team with most Cup Winners Cup titles

  4 Cups
  1979, 1982, 1989 and 1997.
  

• Team with most Fairs Cup titles

  3 Cups
  1958, 1960 and 1966. Also won the Grand Final in 1971 to decide who should keep the trophy outright.
  

• Team with most Spanish Cup titles

  25 titles

• Consecutive League titles

  4 titles
  1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94.
  

• The team with most points at the end of the first half

  50 poitns
  In week 19 of the Spanish League Season 2008/09.
  

• Team with the most points in the history of the league

  99 points
  99 points in the 2009/10 season (record in the major European leagues).
  

• Most goals scored in a league season

  105 goals
  2008/09, 105 goals in 38 matches.
  

• Team most away goals in a league season

  44 goals
  2008/09 League season
  

• Team with best goal difference in a league season

  + 70
  1958/59 and 2008/09 seasons
  

• League with fewest goals conceded

  1968-69
  With 18 goals in 30 matches.
  

• Longest unbeaten run in League matches

  26 games
  26 games, from the 6th (7-10-1973) to the 31st (21-4-1974) match in the 1973-74 season.
  

• - Longest unbeaten run in League matches from the opening match

  The first 21 matches of the 2009/10 league season.
  

• Longest unbeaten run at home in league matches

  67 matches
  From the 25th match of the 72-73 season (4-3-1973) to the 21st of the 76-77 season (20-2-1977), a total of 66 matches, of which 55 were won and 12 drawn, scoring 155 goals and conceding 37.
  

• Longest winning run in the League

  14 games
  14 games, from the 8th match (22-10-2005) to the 21st (29-1-2006) in the 2005-06 Spanish league season.
  

• Longest winning run in the League (home)

  39 games
  39 games, from the 22nd of the 1957-58 season (16-2-1958) to the 8th of the 1960-61 season (6-11-1960).
  

• First half of the season without losing any matches

  19 matches
  19 matches in the 2009-10 league season (15 victories and 4 draws).
  

• Most victories in a league season

  31 victories
  31 victories in the 2009/10 season, together with Real Madrid in the same season.
  

• Most away wins in a season

  13 matches
  2008/09 (13 victories, 3 draws and 3 defeats) and 2009/10 (13 victories, 5 draws and 1 defeat, together with Real Madrid with 13 victories, 3 draws and 3 defeats).
  

• Longest scoring run in the League

  36 games
  36 games, from the ninth of the 1942-43 season (21-11-1942) to the 18th of the 1943-44 season (6-2-1944).
  

• Longest scoring run in the League (home)

  88 games
  88 games, from the 22nd of the 1951-52 season (10-2-1952) to the 18th of the 57-58 season (19-1-1958).
  

• Most league away goals 44goals

  2009/09

• Team with best goal difference

  +74
  2010
  

• Biggest League win (home)

  10-1
  FC Barcelona 10 - Gimnàstic Tarragona 1 (11/09/1949).
  

• Biggest League win (away)

  0-8
  Las Palmas 0 - FC Barcelona 8 (25/10/1959) and Almeria 0 - FC Barcelona 8 (20/11/2010).
  

• Longest scoring run in a season

  34
  34 consecutive matches in the 2009-10 season (27 league, 5 Champions League and 2 World Club Cup).
  

• Biggest win in any competition

  0-18
  Macaya Cup: Tarragona 0 - FC Barcelona 18 (17-3-1901).
  

• Longest unbeaten run in competitive matches

  28 matches
  28 matches 2010-11 (17 league, 6 Champions League, 5 Copa del Rey), from 14-9-2010 to 16-1-2011
  

• Most matches without conceding a goal in one season

  31 matches
  31 matches in the 2009/10 season (20 league, 6 Champions League, 1 Spanish Super Cup, and 1 European Super Cup)
  

• Most wins in a season

  45 victories
  45 victories in 59 competitive matches in the 2009/10 season.
  

• Most consecutive wins in the Champions League

  11
  In the 2002/03 season.
  

• Longest winning run in official matches

  19 games
  19 games in the 2005-06 season (13 League, 3 Champions League, 2 Copa de Rey and one in the Catalan Cup) between 22-10-2005 and 22-1-2006
  

• Longest unbeaten run in European competition

  17 games
  17 matches between 1988-89 and 1992-93 and also between 2005/06 and 2006/07.
  

• Player with most international games for the club

  4 titles
  1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93 and 1993-94.
  

• League with most goals scored

  2008-09
  With 105 goals in 38 matches.
  

• League with fewest goals scored

  1939-40
  With 32 goals in 22 matches.
  

• League with most goals conceded

  1941-42
  With 66 goals in 26 matches.
  

• Biggest win a friendly match

  1-20
  Smilde (Holland) 1 - FC Barcelona 20 (6-8-1992)
  

• Heaviest defeat

  12-1
  Athletic Club Bilbao 12 - FC Barcelona 1 (8-2-1931), in the 1930-31 Spanish league season.
  

• Biggest wins in European competitions (home)

  8-0
  FC Barcelona 8 - Apollon Limassol (Cyprus) (Cup Winners Cup. 15/09/1982); FC Barcelona 8 – Matador Púchov (Slovakia) 0 (UEFA Cup. 15/10/2003).
  

• Biggest win in European competitions (away)

  0-7
  Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel) 0 - FC Barcelona 7 (UEFA Cup. 12/09/1995).
  

• Most consecutive away wins

  13 games
  Between the 21st of September 2008 and the 11th of January 2009, FC Barcelona recorded 13 consecutive victories in official competition away from home. Eight came in the league (Sporting de Gijón, Espanyol, Athletic Club, Recreativo, Sevilla, Villarreal and Osasuna), three in the Champions' League (Shaktar Donetsk, FC Basel and Sporting Clube) and two in the Copa del Rey (Benidorm and Atlético de Madrid)
  

• Record run of away wins in the league

  9 victories
  Sporting de Gijón, Espanyol, Athletic Club, Málaga, Recreativo, Sevilla, Villarreal, Osasuna and Racing were the victims in Barça’s consecutive run of victories away from home in the season 2008/09.