They are known for winning the treble (La Liga, theCopa Del Rey, and theUEFA Champions League) all in 1 season, twice, in the2008-09 season and in the2014-15 season. Their biggest rival isReal Madrid. Matches between F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid are called "El Clásico", which means "The Classic" in Spanish. The team has won many tournaments, which is why Barcelona is considered one of the best teams in the world. Their home stadium,Camp Nou, is the largest stadium inEurope with a capacity of 99,354.[2]
FC Barcelona was founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, Spanish, English, and Catalan footballers led byJoan Gamper. The club won its first Copa del Rey in 1910, and their first league title in 1929. The club was forced to change their name in 1938 toClub de Futbol Barcelona and also had to remove the Catalan flag from the crest. This happened because ofItalian rule. In 1957, theCamp Nou opened. In 1974, the club changed its name back toFutbol Club Barcelona and went back to using the original crest with the Catalan flag and the red and blue colors. Barcelona won their firstUEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1979 againstFortuna Düsseldorf, and won again three years later. A year later, in 1983, the club won their firstSupercopa de España. The club won its first Champions League in 1992 againstU.C. Sampdoria. In 1992, they also achieved a treble, winning their firstUEFA Super Cup and the league title, along with the Champions League. From 1990 to 1994, Barcelona won four consecutive league titles withJohan Cruyff.[3]
The club's main rival is Real Madrid, but it also has more rivalries. It has a local rivalry withRCD Espanyol, since both clubs are from the city of Barcelona. Matches between the two clubs are known asDerbi barceloní. Espanyol supporters used to see FC Barcelona as aforeign team because Espanyol were a Spanish club, unlike Barcelona. Barcelona has been very dominant because Espanyol has only been able to finish above Barcelona in the league on 3 occasions in 70 years.
