Futbol Club Barcelona: A Glance at the Club and Its Kit

FC Barcelona, popularly known as Barca, have a deep cultural heritage and winning tradition spanning over 100 years. Winning the first Liga in 1929, Barcelona are one of only three teams to have never been relegated from La Liga, the top division in Spanish Football. The club have come to embody the very spirit of Catalan culture and Catalanism, representing this cultural identity in el clásico matches with rival club Real Madrid, who are the only Spanish club outnumbering Barcelona in terms of trophies won. They are also second only to Real in club wealth, with global annual revenue reaching €400 million.

Despite an illustrious past with such legendary players as Johan Cruyff, Romário, and Luís Figo, it is in more recent years that FC Barcelona have shone on the international stage enjoying unparalleled success. With Samuel Eto’o and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho, Barcelona were the 04-05 and 05-06 La Liga Champions, winning their second Champions League Title in 2006. With the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year and 2010 FIFA Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi and a supporting cast including several of the 2010 FIFA World Cup winning Spanish National Team, Barcelona have been the La Liga Champions every year from 2008 through 2011, the European Champions twice in 2009 and 2011, and there is no sign of them slowing down any time soon.

A Quick Look at the Barcelona Kit

For over a century, Barcelona refrained from corporate sponsorship on their kits. Beginning with the 06-07 season kit, their shirts bore the UNICEF logo in an agreement that had the club not accepting funds but rather donating €1.5 million annually through the FC Barcelona Foundation. The 11-12 Barcelona Kit, with its Qatar Foundation logo, is the first in the club’s history to bear a traditional corporate sponsor.

While the Barcelona Away Kit has seen numerous colour changes through the years, the Barcelona Home Kit has been red and blue since 1900, one year after the club’s birth. Barcelona’s shirt manufacturer has been Nike since 1998. With the global distribution Nike affords, Barcelona Shirts, Barcelona Training Wear, Barcelona Kids Shirts, and Barcelona Accessories are all now widely available to fans the world over.