FC Barcelona's History

However, it wasn't all plain sailing; Gamper was forced to step in and save the club from bankruptcy in 1908, when he became president. After failing to win any trophies since 1905 and with many players leaving through retirement the club was in crisis. However, Gamper secured a stadium for the club, which they first moved into in 1909. He also went about recruiting new players and setting up a management team that was able to re-focus the club and start winning again. As support for the club grew they needed a new stadium with greater capacity. In 1922 they moved to Les Corts, which at its peak could hold a staggering 60 thousand spectators.

The mid- 1920s and 30s marked a period of hardship for the club. During this period, a crowd at a Barça game jeered the Royal March as a spontaneous objection to Spain's dictatorship. The result was Gamper forced out of the presidency and the stadium remained closed for three months as a punishment. At the end of July 1930, Gamper committed suicide after suffering depression due to financial and personal problems.

The mid- 1920s and 30s marked a period of hardship for the club. During this period, a crowd at a Barça game jeered the Royal March as a spontaneous objection to Spain's dictatorship. The result was Gamper forced out of the presidency and the stadium remained closed for three months as a punishment. At the end of July 1930, Gamper committed suicide after suffering depression due to financial and personal problems.

Following the 1936-1939 Spanish Civil War, the dictator General Franco banned to use of any language other than Castilian and football clubs were forced to use Spanish named. Futbol Club Barcelona was forced to change its name to Club de Futbol Barcelona and the rivalry with Real Madrid began thanks to Franco's support for the latter. Despite being persecuted, Barcelona did win a number of titles during the 1940s and 50s.

Though they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup eliminatory in 1961, the 60s were not a great decade for CF Barcelona. Because the club lacked money to acquire better players after building a new stadium, the league was dominated by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. The 1970s, however, saw the arrival of the soon-to-be-legendary Johan Cruyff, who led the team to the championship in '74.

Despite winning many championships, the next fourteen years saw the team experience conflicts with their management. Finally, in 1988 Johan Cruyff returned as team manager and assembled the "Dream Team", a group of elite players. Cruyff led the team to many victories and remains their most successful manager to date. After Cruyff's departure in 1994, managers and players came and went, but the team continued having limited successes.

Finally, in 2003 a young new president took over FC Barcelona. Joan Laporta brought in manager Frank Rijkaard and many international stars that led the team to many victories for a few years. In 2008, after many failures Laporta decided to replace Rijkaard with Barça B coach Josep Guardiola. Since taking over the team has reached dizzying new heights and his success means Barça is more popular than ever before - you can book FC Barcelona tickets online to make sure you don't miss out when you visit Barcelona.