Barcelona

FC Barcelona is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and is one of the most successful clubs in history.

Founded in 1899 by a group of Catalan, Swiss and English footballers led by Joan Gamper, Barcelona have become a major symbol of Catalan culture and is one of the richest football clubs in the world with an annual turnover of around €400 million.

Barcelona are the current Spanish and European champions and have won 21 La Liga titles, 25 Copa del Reys, and four UEFA Champions League trophies. The Catalan club also have the unique record of being the only European club to have played continental football every season since 1955, and in 2009, became the only Spanish club in history to win the treble consisting of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League. That same season, Barcelona became they only club to win all six of a possible six trophies in a single campaign.

Their current stadium is the Camp Nou, which the club moved to in 1957 and holds a capacity crowd of 98,787; the largest stadium in Europe and the eleventh largest sports venue anywhere in the world.

Barcelona's current manager is Josep Guardiola, who is a Barca legend in his own right having spent his entire playing career at the club before taking over the managerial reins in 2008.

Since Guardiola took charge, Barcelona have developed into arguably the best club team in history; winning three La Liga titles, the 2009 Copa del Rey, two Champions League trophies, and two FIFA Club World Cups.

Barcelona's current captain is Spanish defender Carles Puyol, who took over the armband from Luis Enrique in August 2004. The club's vice-captain is talismanic midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who along with fellow central midfielder Andres Iniesta, is considered to be the crucial component in Barcelona's famous tiki-taka style that has seen them dominate the domestic and European scene for the past four years.

The club's current star player is without doubt Argentine forward Lionel Messi, who has played a major role in establishing the club's recent dominance.

Barcelona's biggest rivalry is with fellow Spanish giants Real Madrid with the matches known as El Classico. Real Madrid currently edge Barcelona in overall victories in El Classico showdowns 86-85, although Barca have won seven of the last 10 meetings.

Barcelona's other main rivalry is with city rivals Espanyol, however Barca have been mainly dominant over their local foes, having finished above them in the league all but three times in 70 years.

According to Forbes in 2011, Barcelona were ranked as the fifth richest football club in the world - behind Manchester United, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Bayern Munich - with a value of $975 million with a yearly revenue of $488 million.

In December 2010, Barcelona agreed their first ever shirt sponsorship agreement; a five-year €150 million deal with the Qatar Foundation, which saw the Qatari charity join Unicef as the Spanish champions' shirt sponsor. From the beginning of the current season, Barca will receive $30 million a season and is the first time in the club's 112-year history they have been paid to advertise on their jerseys.