It's no secret that the city of Barcelona is home to one of the most popular football clubs worldwide, with its notable history, legendary players and the unique playing style, there are still facts that aren't commonly known by most football fans.

Due to its large popularity, nevertheless, Barcelona has largely entered many spheres of everyday life. From politics, through humanitarian actions, and all the way to online sports betting, there’s all kinds of activity surrounding the club. After all, Bet365 in Europe receives quite a few bets on them, while the political issues regarding Catalonia's independence and the backlash from strong Spanish nationalism remain largely present in the club’s history.

#1 – It all started with a newspaper advertisement

Who would have thought that one of the greatest football clubs in the world had been founded with an advertisement from a newspaper. On October 22nd, 1899, the Swiss football enthusiast Hans Max Gamper-Haessig (Joan Gamper) put an ad where interested people could contact him regarding the formation of the club. Seven days later, their first meeting made history.

#2 – The legend of the ‘Asses’

It’s as bizarre as it sounds, but there’s a logical explanation on this matter. FC Barcelona’s fans in Spain are known under the name ‘culés’ (culers) which, roughly translated into English, means ‘ass’. Although some might find it weird, and others find it confusing, the fact is, their nickname comes directly from their bottoms.

Back in the 1920s, when the matches were still played in the old Les Corts stadium, Barcelona fans would sit in the highest row and show their backsides to passer-bys. It had practically been the only thing visible from the outside, and quite distinguishable, apparently, since it brought them this nickname.

#3 – Camp Nou, the Spanish Maracanã

Many younger fans are unaware of the true size of Camp Nou. Throughout the years, this construction has been reduced in terms of its capacity for audience due to security issues. However, back in the days, it had been known for matching the largest football stadium in the world in terms of crowds, Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite all the comparisons of old, nowadays the Camp Nou is Europe’s biggest stadium and third worldwide.

#4 – Sponsorships and its controversies

It's hard to imagine for younger fans, but back in the day the club wouldn’t accept any main shirt sponsorships up until just over a decade ago. The tradition was broken in a noble manner when on the 14th of July, 2006, they made a deal with UNICEF, and donated €1.5 million yearly in order to help their cause, plus using their logo on the shirt. Years later the Qatar Foundation would replace it as the paying sponsor, and next season the club will advertise the e-commerce company Rakuten.

#5 – The Catalan clause

Barça has one tradition that many have overlooked over the years, we occasionally see headlines that the new club signing will be forced to learn Catalan, but things aren't that simple. Joan Laporta, who was the club's president from 2003 to 2010, introduced a new clause into the player's contracts, which requires each player to learn how to speak Catalan. If the clause actually works and if it's enforced we're likely to never know, but it's a gesture that valorizes the club's strong values of the Catalan region.

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