Spanish giants Barcelona will not prioritize reclaiming the Champions League from Real Madrid, says boss Ernesto Valverde.
The Catalans lifted two trophies, the title, and the Copa del Rey last campaign, however, their season was soured by crashing out of the Champions League to AS Roma at the quarter-final stage while Real Madrid won the trophy for a third consecutive year and now have 13 European Cups to Barca’s five. Despite Lionel Messi pledging to do everything possible to end team’s recent failings in Europe’s top competition, Valverde isn’t much focused on that.
“We prioritize everything. We always fight for the Champions League, we did last season and we always will, and we know the best way to win the Champions League is to win La Liga. That’s how it has always been. If you focus on the league you’re focused on being the best throughout the year, and that makes it easier to achieve your objectives.”
Barca, however, has won the league title in each of the five seasons they lifted the Champions League trophy, which they last did in 2015, and Valverde believes the surest way of doing it again is to ensure his side are the best team in Spain.
Founded in 1899 by a group of Swiss, English and Catalan footballers led by Joan Gamper, the club has become a symbol of Catalan culture and Catalanism, hence the motto “Més que un club” (“More than a club”). Unlike many other football clubs, the supporters own and operate Barcelona. It is the third most valuable sports team in the world, worth $4.07 billion, and the world’s third richest football club in terms of revenue, with an annual turnover of €648.3 million. The official Barcelona anthem is the “Cant del Barça”, written by Jaume Picas and Josep Maria Espinàs.
Domestically, Barcelona has won 25 La Liga, 30 Copa del Rey, 13 Supercopa de España, 3 Copa Eva Duarte and 2 Copa de la Liga trophies, as well as being the record holder for the latter four competitions. In international club football, Barcelona has won 20 European and World titles: 5 UEFA Champions League titles, a record 4 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, a joint record 5 UEFA Super Cup, a record 3 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and a joint record 3 FIFA Club World Cup. Barcelona was ranked first in the International Federation of Football History & Statistics Club World Ranking for 1997, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015 and currently occupies the third position on the UEFA club rankings. The club has a long-standing rivalry with Real Madrid; matches between the two teams are referred to as El Clásico.
Barcelona is one of the most widely supported teams in the world, and the club has one of the largest social media following in the world among sports teams[9][10] Barcelona players have won a record number of Ballon d’Or awards (11), with recipients including Johan Cruyff, as well as a record number of FIFA World Player of the Year awards , with winners including Ronaldo, Romário, Ronaldinho and Rivaldo. In 2010, three players who came through the club’s youth academy (Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta and Xavi) were chosen as the three best players in the world in the FIFA Ballon d’Or awards, an unprecedented feat for players from the same football school.