Barcelona are right up there as one of the most decorated European teams ever and are currently just ahead of rivals Real Madrid in terms of total trophies won.
From Pep Guardiola to Luis Enrique and Ernesto Valverde, La Blaugrana have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, but their history is also just as rich as any other club in the world.
Let’s take a look at some of the club records that make the Catalan giants so unique.
Most Appearances: Xavi – 767 (1998-2015)
Lionel Messi, who’s only 50 or so games behind, will more than likely overtake this record very soon, but currently the all time appearances honour falls to the incomparable midfield maestro Xavi.
Most Goals: Lionel Messi – 627- (2004 – Present)
Messi broke the the record in 2012 at the age of just 24. The previous holder was César Rodríguez Álvarez, who hit 232 goals during the 1940s and 1950s.
The only other star still playing in the top ten is Luis Suarez, who sits fourth on 191.
Most Goals in a Single Season (All Competitions): Lionel Messi – 73 (2011/12)
Messi hasn’t had many bad seasons, but his 2011/12 campaign was out of this world. He scored 50 of his total 73 goals in La Liga (also a record) and 14 in the Champions League. Suárez has come closest to defeating that record in recent years with 59 in 2015/16.
Most Goals (Team) in a Single League Season: 116 (2016/17)
The terrific front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar contributed a staggering 79 of the 116 goals that season but remarkably they didn’t win La Liga, losing out to Real by three points.
Youngest Ever Player: Paulino Alcántara – 15 (1912)
Filipino striker Alcántara came through the youth set-up at Barça and made his debut in the Catalan Football Championship. He also scored a hat-trick in the match, making him the all-time youngest goalscorer in an official game for the club.
Oldest Ever Player: José Manuel Pinto – 38 (2014)
Unsurprisingly perhaps, Barcelona’s oldest ever player is a goalkeeper. Pinto was deputy to Victor Valdés for seven seasons and made his final appearance in the 2013/14 season, enjoying a stint as the side’s Copa del Rey keeper due to Valdés’ diminishing fitness.
Lowest League Finish: 12th (1941/42)
The only time Barcelona finished outside the top ten since La Liga began in 1929 was in 1941/42. Their coach was sacked midway through the season, but they did manage to win the Copa del Rey so it wasn’t all terrible.
Record Transfer Fee Paid: Philippe Coutinho – €120m (2018)
A huge contract and the chance to play with the world’s best persuaded Philippe Coutinho to leave Liverpool for Camp Nou. It largely hasn’t gone to plan though, as he left for Bayern Munich on loan after one season and is now rumoured to be after a return to England.
Record Transfer Fee Received: Neymar – €222m (2017)
This was crazy money. But Neymar was the breakthrough talent who wanted to be the main man and that was never going to happen at Barcelona with Messi about. The problem is PSG now have Kylian Mbappé too, meaning Neymar still isn’t the star player he wants to be.
Biggest League Win: 10-1 vs Gimnàstic de Tarragona (1949/50)
In a season where Barcelona only managed to finish sixth in La Liga, this win was one of the few highlights. It condemned the opposition to relegation as Gimnàstic finished with a goal difference of -60.
Biggest League Defeat: 1-11 vs Sevilla (1940/41)
You have to go very far back to find a league match where Barca lost by ten goals. They actually led 1-0 early on in this fixture before Sevilla replied with devastating effect. Bizarrely, Sevilla still finished behind Barcelona in the final league standings.
Longest Unbeaten Run: 39 games (2015/16)
Under Luis Enrique, Barça were virtually unbeatable as they surged to a La Liga and Copa del Rey double. Luis Suárez also hit an impressive 40 league goals in his second season with the club.
Most Played Opponent: Real Madrid (277 games)
El Clásico is undoubtedly the biggest rivalry in European football and it has produced some incredible matches over the decades. Their first meeting was in 1902, which Barcelona won 3-1.
Most Beaten Opponent: Real Madrid (115 wins)
Barcelona lead the head-to-head over their long time rivals with the most recent victory coming in the 2019 Copa del Rey semi finals. Real Madrid’s most wins against a specific opponent is also against Barcelona, with 100.
Longest Serving Manager: Jack Greenwell (1917-1924 & 1931-1933)
Recently it was widely reported that English manager Greenwell is actually the longest serving Barcelona boss, narrowly taking the title off the iconic Johan Cruyff who managed the side for eight seasons.
Greenwell served for nine years as Barca won five Catalan Championships and two Copas del Rey.
Shortest Serving Manager: Ramón Guzmán (1941-42) & Luis Miró (1961)
Excluding several caretaker managers who took over for brief periods, both these guys were hired permanently and dumped after just 15 games. Guzmán was ditched the year they finished 12th, so you can understand the decision.
Highest Home Attendance: 120,000 (1986)
Before it was later downsized due to safety concerns concerning standing areas, Camp Nou could hold a staggering 120,000 people and it reached capacity for the 1986 European Cup quarter final when Barca hosted Juventus.
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