Unparalleled success – a term defined according to Merriam-Webster dictionary as “having no equal or match.”
Quite scarcely has this term been associated with football, as despite various teams’ accomplishments, there is always a team regarded as “that match” for them irrespective of their accomplishment – except you are Barcelona Femení.
Various footballing generations have witnessed what can be safely described as an unparalleled success. The dominant Johan Cruyff Ajax side recorded tremendous successes including eight Eredivisie championships between 1968 and 1983 and three UEFA Champions League titles between 1970 and 1973, whilst the daunting Brazilian team of the 1950s and 60s won three FIFA world cup trophies in 1958, 1962, and 1970 respectively. If we fast forward to the 21st century the world has witnessed similarly commanding performances like that of the “unplayable” Barcelona side led by Pep Guardiola between 2008 and 2012 that clinched 14 titles of the 22 they participated in within four seasons; or the undying and unrelenting Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid that set an unprecedented streak “three straight titles” in the UEFA Champions League between 2016 and 2018.
In spite of these chains of achievements, the footballing world has never witnessed unparalleled success to the degree that this Barcelona Femení side, currently led by Coach Jonatan Giraldez are experiencing.
A quick look at their achievements in the last three league seasons includes three Primera division titles in a row, with the 2021-22 season standing out, as the team remarkably didn’t drop a single point en route to the title. Jonatan Giraldez’s side recorded an unprecedented 30 league wins in 30 league games played, scoring a staggering 159 goals, and conceding just 11 times.
Their nearest rival that season, Real Sociedad women’s team were “left for dead” – the bitter taste of an aggregate 17-2 defeat against the Catalan giants.
But what could be the catalyst of this video game-like dominance of a football club that became professional only in 2015?
Let’s do a little bit of history. Barcelona Femeni are one of the oldest teams in Spain. The team was founded in 1970 by 18-year-old Immaculada “Imma” Cabecerán with the name Peña Femenina Barcelonista. The Peña Femenina Barcelonista was the first recognized female football club in Spain and became an established member of Spain’s first recognized women’s league, the Primera División. It wasn’t until 1988 that they became known as ‘Barca Femeni’ due to their affiliation with Barcelona.
Of course, they are the most successful women’s team in Spanish football’s history backed by their pedigree and consistency.
But this is down to a few factors;
Financial Support
Since Femení became a professional side in 2015, FC Barcelona have been actively supporting it’s women’s team, especially in terms of the team’s finances.
In September 2021, Barcelona approved a budget of €3.5m for the women’s team. It appears a peanut when compared to what’s set aside for the men, but gigantic in relation to the budget of other women’s teams in Spain and across Europe.
Sizable financial backing enables the club to make top signings, including Women’s Euro winner Lucy Bronze from Manchester City and 2021-2022 season joint top scorer Geyse Ferreira from Madrid CFF.
Style of Play and Opposition Quality
Barcelona Femení plays a very dominant style of passing football. A style that embodies the principles that took the men’s team to dizzying heights. Over the four seasons, they have shown quality and dominance over other teams on levels unheard of in the sport, be it for men or women.
A quick glance at the record books, their 2020-21 season saw them finish with a staggering 33 wins of their 34 league games. The only blemish came in a late defeat to Atletico Madrid after they had successfully won the league. That season saw them score a ginormous 167 goals and conceded a measly 15.
The following season, 2021-22 Barcelona Femení finished as champions again, this time with their unprecedented 30-for-30 win. Last week, Barcelona Femení made history again by becoming the first football team to win 50 consecutive league games, giving Levante Las Planas a thrashing of 7-0 at the Estadi Johan Cruyff on Wednesday 25th of January 2023. Remarkably, the team hasn’t lost at its home stadium since it became home in 2019.
It’s important to reiterate that these are levels that haven’t been seen in football before, be it within the men’s game or women’s games.
It is commonly said that “most women’s teams in Spain are not world-class.” But against clubs from England and Germany where teams have been professional for decades, Barcelona have successfully held their own. Though there’s almost no way they would go a season unbeaten, their recent success on the European stages including their 4-0 defeat of Chelsea in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final, shows how well the Catalan side has improved.
Pulling clear of other teams in the league, a number of their fixtures in the 2021-22 season featured utterly ridiculous score lines including a 9-1 victory against Real Sociedad. Other wins include a couple of 8-0 results, an 8-1, three 7-0 wins, and a 10-1 battering of Sevilla.
So far, Barca Femení holds a record of 7 league titles, 8 Spanish Cups, and one Champions League title.
Showcasing levels that are unprecedented in football and fielding a host of superstars (including Super Falcons forward, Asisat Oshoala), Barcelona Femení are a must-see team; so it was no surprise to see the side sell out Camp Nou, in less than a week, for their UEFA Women’s Champions League Clasico in March of 2022 – 91,553. The record would swiftly be broken in the next round of UWCL fixtures against VFL Wolfsburg as 91,648 fans made the trip to Camp Nou.
This is a feat the men’s team never managed all through the 2021-22 season – with their highest attendance being 86,422 in their Clasico defeat against Real Madrid.
