Real Madrid Club de Fútbol, commonly referred to as Real Madrid or simply Real, is a Spanish professional football club based in Madrid.
The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's top professional football division of the Spanish football league system. Administered by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional, it is contested by 20 teams, with the three lowest-placed teams at the end of each season being relegated to the Segunda División and replaced by the top two teams and a play-off winner in that division.
Futbol Club Barcelona, commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football.
Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, commonly known as Ronaldinho Gaúcho or simply Ronaldinho, is a Brazilian retired professional footballer who played mostly as an attacking midfielder, but was also deployed as a winger. Considered one of the best players of his generation and regarded by many as one of the greatest of all time, Ronaldinho won two FIFA World Player of the Year awards and a Ballon d'Or. A global icon of the sport, he was renowned for his technical skills, creativity, dribbling ability and accuracy from free-kicks, his use of tricks, feints, no-look passes and overhead kicks, as well as his ability to score and create goals.
Ronald Koeman is a Dutch professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of La Liga club Barcelona. He is the younger brother of his former international teammate Erwin Koeman and the son of former Dutch international Martin Koeman. Koeman was capable of playing both as a defender and as a midfielder; he frequently played as a sweeper, although he was equally known for his goalscoring, long–range shooting, and accuracy from free kicks and penalties. He is regarded as one of the best defenders of his generation.
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, sometimes referred to as the European Fairs Cup, Fairs Cities' Cup, or simply as the Fairs Cup, was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. It was regarded as the forerunner to the UEFA Cup. The competition was the idea of FIFA vice-president and executive committee member Ernst Thommen, Italian Football Federation president and FIFA executive committee member Ottorino Barassi, and the English Football Association general secretary and president of FIFA from 1961 to 1974, Stanley Rous. As the name suggests, the competition was set up to promote international trade fairs. Friendly games were regularly held between teams from cities holding trade fairs and it was from these games that the competition evolved. The competition was initially only open to teams from cities that hosted trade fairs and where these teams finished in their national league had no relevance. Early competitions also featured a one city, one team rule. After 1964, it was sometimes referred to as the Runners-up Cup, with teams now qualifying based on league position. The winning team received the Noel Beard Trophy, named for the cutler who designed it.
Barcelona Sporting Club is an Ecuadorian sports club based in Guayaquil, known best for its professional football team. Internationally known as Barcelona de Ecuador, in Ecuador it is simply referred as Barcelona, El Idolo (BSC) or Barce. They currently play in the Ecuadorian Serie A, the highest level of football in the country, and hold the distinction of being the only club in Ecuadorian top flight to not have played in the Serie B.
Carles Puyol Saforcada is a Spanish former professional footballer who played his entire career for Barcelona. He mainly played as a central defender, but he could also play in either full-back position, mostly as a right-back. Praised for his defensive qualities and leadership, he is widely regarded as one of the best defenders and captains in the history of the sport.
Gerard Piqué Bernabeu is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for La Liga club Barcelona. He is considered one of the best defenders of his generation.
Xavier Hernández Creus, known as Xavi, is a Spanish professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Barcelona. Widely considered one of the greatest midfielders of all time, Xavi was renowned for his passing, vision, ball retention, and positioning.
Lionel Andrés Messi, also known as Leo Messi, is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ligue 1 club Paris Saint-Germain and captains the Argentina national team. Often considered the best player in the world and widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Messi has won a record seven Ballon d'Or awards, a record six European Golden Shoes, and in 2020 was named to the Ballon d'Or Dream Team. Until leaving the club in 2021, he had spent his entire professional career with Barcelona, where he won a club-record 35 trophies, including ten La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions Leagues. A prolific goalscorer and creative playmaker, Messi holds the records for most goals in La Liga (474), a La Liga and European league season (50), most hat-tricks in La Liga (36) and the UEFA Champions League (8), and most assists in La Liga (192), a La Liga season (21) and the Copa América (17). He also holds the record for most international goals by a South American male (81). Messi has scored over 750 senior career goals for club and country, and has the most goals by a player for a single club.
Josep "Pep" Guardiola Sala is a Spanish professional football manager and former player, who is the current manager of Premier League club Manchester City. He is often considered to be one of the greatest managers of all time and holds the records for the most consecutive league games won in La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League.
Luis Alberto Suárez Díaz is a Uruguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Spanish club Atlético Madrid and the Uruguay national team. Known for his passing, finishing and comfort with the ball, he is regarded as one of the best players of his generation, and one of the greatest strikers of all time, Suárez has won nineteen major trophies in his career, including seven league titles and a UEFA Champions League at club level, as well as the 2011 Copa América with Uruguay. Suárez has won two European Golden Shoes, an Eredivisie Golden Boot, a Premier League Golden Boot, and the Pichichi Trophy. He has scored over 500 career goals for club and country.
El Clásico or el clásico is the name given to any football match between rival clubs FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. Originally referring to competitions held in the Spanish championship, the term now includes every match between the clubs, such as those in the UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey. Other than the UEFA Champions League Final, it is considered one of the biggest club football games in the world, and is among the most viewed annual sporting events. A fixture known for its intensity, it has featured memorable goal celebrations from both teams, often involving mocking the opposition.
Futbol Club Barcelona B is a Spanish football team based in Barcelona, in the autonomous community of Catalonia.
Sergio Busquets Burgos is a Spanish professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder and captains both La Liga club Barcelona and the Spain national team. He is considered to be a deep-lying playmaker capable of directing the gameplay through short and calm passes, and one of the best defensive midfielders of his generation.
Futbol Club Barcelona Femení is the women's football section of FC Barcelona, based in Barcelona, Spain. FC Barcelona Femení is Spain's most successful women's club both domestically and in Europe, having won seven league titles, eight Copas de la Reina, two Spanish Supercup and one UEFA Women's Champions League.
Hendrik Johannes CruijffOON was a Dutch professional football player and manager. As a player, he won the Ballon d'Or three times, in 1971, 1973 and 1974. Cruyff was a proponent of the football philosophy known as Total Football explored by Rinus Michels, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the sport, as well as one of its best managers ever.
Reial Club Deportiu Espanyol de Barcelona, commonly known as Espanyol, is a professional sports club based in Cornellá, Spain.
FC Barcelona Bàsquet, commonly referred to as FC Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça, is a professional basketball club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. It is a part of the FC Barcelona multi sports club, and was founded on 24 August 1926, which makes it the oldest club in the Liga ACB. The club, which competes in the Liga ACB and the EuroLeague, is one of the most successful basketball clubs domestically as well as internationally. Two times European champions, Barça completed a triple crown in 2003 by winning the season's league, cup and EuroLeague. Their home arena is the Palau Blaugrana, which was opened on 23 October 1971. They share the facilities with the roller hockey, futsal, and handball teams of the club.