How did Barcelona become the queens of Europe?

When asked to name their heroes or role models, whether they were young football fans from Barcelona, Barcelona, or Barcelona, they almost certainly would come up with the names Messi, Xavi, or Iniesta.

These days they are just as likely to name someone like the former winner of the women’s Ballon d’Or, Alexia Putellas or twice winner and current holder of the award, Aitana Bonmati, who is generally regarded as the best female player in the world.

FC Barcelona Femeni will face Arsenal in Lisbon on Saturday in search of their fourth consecutive women’s Champions League victory, just 10 years after they became professional and just 23 years after they were officially incorporated into the Catalan institution.

Along the way, they have scored 44 goals in just 10 games this season, including an 8-2 humbling of Chelsea across the two-legged semi-final and a 10-2 aggregate quarter-final defeat to Wolfsburg.

Arsenal might look to take encouragement from the fact Barcelona were beaten 2-0 in the group stages by Manchester City, although a 3-0 victory for the Spanish side in their second meeting with the Women’s Super League team ensured they finished top of their group.

Football was regarded very much as a male preserve when a Barcelona women’s side was first formed around the 1970s, just as Spain was limping out of dictatorship into what was then a fragile democracy.

However, they were initially barred from joining FC Barcelona before becoming a part of the club in 2002 in a world where men, of course, thought of women’s football as something a little strange and not quite the thing.

However, until 2015, they were prohibited from using any of the men’s facilities unless one member of the men’s first team requested that they do so, and they were only permitted to do so during international breaks.

Marta Unzue joined the club in 2006 and made about 280 appearances for them over a 14-year spell, including three years as club captain between 2014-17.

She responded to my interview with her for my book on the history of Barcelona’s captains, saying: “I don’t know what many people make, but I was paid €200 [£168] a month at Barca.

But the focus was on far more than just money. Playing conditions were primitive. Surfaces were dirt pitches that served as parking spaces for matches on matchdays, and changing rooms were sheds stuffed to the brim with up to 30 people and equipped with subpar showers that would never have hot water again.

We didn’t request the same financial gain because she also needs to be aware of how well-versed both men and women’s football are, but she did claim that we did deserve to play on a respectable pitch and have a respectable locker room.

To add insult to injury they also had to pay their own travel expenses to get not only to and from the ground for training, but also on matchdays. They were told that the money was not available when they inquired about getting reimbursed for their travel expenses. However, all men’s teams either had their own buses planned out or were picked up by the club.

And up until 2017, women were still wearing men’s kit for both playing and training.

We did our laundry at home when I arrived. We washed them at home, according to Unzue, and they gave us two or three sets, I can’t recall how many.

” They would give us the smallest sizes but even that was too big for us. “

Unzue explained that getting to away games was a different experience, not least of which: “We traveled almost always by bus, except for longer trips like Barcelona-Seville, where we flew.

However, it was a long bus ride from Barcelona to the Basque Country, via bus, Madrid, bus, Valencia, and bus, and people were still working as well.

” There were a lot of people who arrived late at night and had to go to work the next day. “

Women have only been admitted to the La Masia residency since 2021, which is the much-awaited La Masia academy, which was also out-of-bounds for the women.

How did Barcelona’s women’s team become Europe’s queens?

On 30 March 2022 at the Camp Nou, 91, 553 turned out to see Barcelona trounce Real Madrid in the second leg of the Women’s Champions League semi-final – 5-2 on the night and 8-3 on aggregate.

The attendance at the 1999 Women’s World Cup final between the United States and China at the Pasadena Rose Bowl was higher than the previous record of 90, 185 fans.

However, they claim that a crushing defeat can teach you more football lessons than a victory.

Back in 2019 they were outfought, outthought and outclassed by Lyon in their maiden Champions League final – a match that was effectively over after just 30 minutes, by which time the French side had scored four.

The club began creating a style based on pressure, passing, and possession that was based on Markel Zubizarreta’s experience as the club’s sporting director.

After 2015’s embrace of professionalism, it was the next step.

That had not, however, brought instant success and Barcelona were beaten by Atletico Madrid to the league title in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

But they were anticipating the future and demonstrating to both players and supporters that their intentions were serious.

A $3.5 million (£2.95 million) shirt sponsorship agreement with Stanley, a hardware company, helped ensure financial stability and allowed the women’s section to remain financially independent from the men’s side.

A women’s academy at La Masia was established, creating a level playing field with the boys at the club. The investment in physiotherapists and nutritionists paid off with ensuring that all players were as healthy and fit as possible.

Finally, time, effort, respect, and most importantly, respect were being put toward promoting women’s football, giving birth to a vision of what women’s sport could look like at its best.

A move from grounds outside the Camp Nou to the Estadi Johan Cruyff, which is located at Barca’s training facility and has a capacity of 6, 000, helped to increase attendances.

Looking to sign homegrown talent and only bring in those external players that were disciples of the club’s sacred style – or could at least adapt to it – they won the first of their three Champions Leagues in 2021 in Gothenburg, where they beat Chelsea 4-0.

The men’s first team were going through a terrible run, losing to Paris St-Germain in the final 16 of the men’s Champions League after a 4-1 home defeat had sealed their fate, so victory was especially sweet coming at a time when they were going through this.

The men’s first team, in contrast, was only allowed to play third fiddle in the league, behind Real Madrid and Atletico. That season Barcelona’s footballing pride was restored by its women’s side, a team that flourished in a period when the men’s team looked to have lost their way.

Barcelona’s starting XI made up seven of the nation’s starting XI for their 2023 World Cup victory against England, winning each of their previous four titles since 2019-20. Additionally, Salma Paralluelo, Bonmati, and her team-mate Salma Paralluelo both received the tournament’s Best Young Player Award.

For many Catalans, Barca has always been” mes que un club “- more than a club. The women’s team is currently leading the way in the world, which has never felt more true. They represent progress as well as pride.

Arsenal await in Lisbon this weekend. Then, in the Copa de la Reina final, Atletico Madrid. A second straight Treble would be won by them, making them one of the best club sides in football history.