The Balrog Bridge

A lot of you who know me, know for sure how big a fan I am of Futbol Club Barcelona, a spanish football club based in Catalonia. I have been a Cule (That's what the Barcelona fans are called) for as long as I remember. Of course, I used to be a Manchester United fan when I was like 5, but then again, I didn't even know the Spanish League existed.

Now, why would I support this particular Spanish team, when there are options in England, and also in Spain itself, in the form of Real Madrid. The reasons, are many, and I just can't even fit all of them into one single post. I have a connection to Barcelona which I can say is more than what I have to my own National football team. Furthermore, I don't see that changing, because I will stick to this club all the way through success and failure.

When I first heard of Barcelona, it was in the day of the Brazilian Rivaldo, playing in the team. I really didn't have time to get into Spanish football at the time, and plus, the channels in Maldives never aired anything from the La Liga. It was all about the English league, Manchester United, Arsenal etc etc. Yes, boring stuff.

However, it was during the time of Ronaldinho and Deco that I really started supporting Barcelona. They won the UEFA Champions League and the Spanish League under Frank Rijkaard, and seemed very unstoppable. A very bad season followed soon, and then, after major changes, came the era of Josep Guardiola and his new Barcelona generation. That was just in the 2008/2009 season, where this great club, achieved something no other team has ever achieved in the past. Six trophies, in all competitions, in one season.

Joy, joy joy! But then again, why this club? FC Barcelona, ever since being founded by Joan Gamper in 1899, has become THE club, with the most culture in it. Cules have a special way for doing everything, and the support and attachment they show to their team, inside the Camp Nou, Europe's biggest stadium to all around the world, cannot be matched by ANY teams I have seen so far. How dedicated are they?! Every big match comes like a festival to the Cules lucky enough to be living in Barcelona. They celebrate, despite winning or losing, and never give up their hopes on the team.

This club, is also owned and run by the cules themselves. This is a very unfamiliar aspect seen in most English clubs, usually owned by multi-billionares. However, it is to be noted that the club, is actually the second richest club in world, closely following behind Real Madrid.

Ever heard of the Tiki Taka style of football? Every wondered why Barcelona boasts an amazing 70-80% ball possession against almost ANY opposition? Yes, that is because of this style of football, incorporated into the Barcelona players coming out of La Masia, their main facility for training youngsters. Furthermore, this is exactly why everybody agrees that Barcelona plays the most beautiful football, in the world.

The club is also famous for having a majority of Catalan players. This is a fact that can make every Cule happy, since most big clubs depend on imported players. Barca on the otherhand, uses players whom they trained in their academy, and most of them are Catalan. Their youth policies are one of the most successful in the world, and have produced amazing players like Lionel Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Pique, Cesc Fabregas and Victor Valdes. Again, a reason to be proud of this very amazing club!

Let's not forget the coach here. Pep Guardiola, just 39, is an amazing person. Humble, intelligent and hard-working, he has proven himself to be one of the elites in the world with just ONE SEASON! 6 titles, and he did it by beating big clubs, like Real Madrid, Lyon, Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Manchester United! And he still is all humble and very respectful to his rivals, anywhere and everywhere. Like Luca Toni said, Guardiola taught him that to be a great champion, you have to be a great person.

The club's motto says "Mes que un club", which means More than just a club! I have taken this motto to heart, and year after year, FC Barcelona keeps on proving how true of a statement it is.