When Joan Laporta assumed the presidency, there was optimism for a revival at FC Barcelona.
However, three years into his tenure, the club’s situation seems to have only slightly improved. Barcelona continues to encounter various obstacles, including complications with player registrations this summer.
Former Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo recently drew a comparison between the internal operations of Barcelona and one of his previous clubs, Manchester City.
He emphasized the differences by stating, “I always say this: Barça operates like a small club. On a global scale, it’s enormous—Barcelona and Madrid should be the biggest in terms of media presence, popularity, and recognition… They fill stadiums wherever they go. Barça is massive, but internally, it feels quite small; you see the same faces all the time: players, staff, a few security guards, the cook, and not many more.”
In contrast, Bravo depicted Manchester City’s operations as expansive, saying, “Manchester City, on the other hand, is enormous internally. Their resources are vast: there are numerous staff in the pool, locker room, medical area, and gyms. There is an abundance of resources. They don’t cut corners with personnel or facilities to ensure players have everything they need. They focus solely on the game, providing top-notch physiotherapists, gym trainers, and medical staff. They have multiple doctors and dozens of stretchers.”
The observations made by Bravo accentuate the necessity for a club of Barcelona’s caliber to function at a high internal standard. While the Catalan club has always embraced its unique identity with the motto ‘Més que un club,’ recent years have shown a deviation from this ideal.
