How did Barcelona become the queens of Europe?

Not truthful galore years ago, immoderate young shot person successful nan football-mad metropolis that is Barcelona - antheral aliases female - erstwhile asked to sanction their heroes aliases domiciled models would almost surely travel retired pinch names for illustration Messi, Xavi aliases Iniesta.

These days they are conscionable arsenic apt to sanction personification for illustration nan erstwhile victor of nan women's Ballon d'Or, Alexia Putellas aliases doubly victor and existent holder of nan award, Aitana Bonmati, who is mostly regarded arsenic nan champion female subordinate successful nan world.

On Saturday, conscionable 10 years aft they became master and only 23 years since they officially became portion of nan Catalan institution, FC Barcelona Femeni will look Arsenal successful Lisbon successful hunt of their 3rd Women's Champions League trophy successful a statement - and their 4th successful 5 years.

Along nan measurement they person scored 44 goals successful conscionable 10 games this play including a 10-2 aggregate quarter-final demolition of Wolfsburg, and an 8-2 humbling of Chelsea crossed nan two-legged semi-final.

Arsenal mightiness look to return encouragement from nan truth Barcelona were beaten 2-0 successful nan group stages by Manchester City, though a 3-0 triumph for nan Spanish broadside successful their 2nd gathering pinch nan Women's Super League squad ensured they vanished apical of their group.

But Barcelona's emergence to becoming nan awesome powerhouse is, arsenic is truthful often nan lawsuit pinch women's football, a communicative of battling against nan likelihood successful nan look of a barrage of prejudice, misogyny and rejection.

Football was regarded very overmuch arsenic a antheral sphere erstwhile a Barcelona women's broadside was first formed astir nan 1970s, conscionable arsenic Spain was limping retired of dictatorship into what was past a vulnerable democracy.

But, successful a world wherever women's shot was perceived - by men, of people - arsenic thing a spot weird, not rather nan thing, they were initially blocked from joining FC Barcelona, earlier yet becoming portion of nan nine successful 2002.

However, until 2015 they were forbidden from utilizing immoderate of nan men's accommodation different than during world breaks, erstwhile they were fixed typical exception to do so, unless immoderate 1 personification from nan men's first squad wanted to usage them, successful which lawsuit they would person to vacate immediately.

Marta Unzue joined nan nine successful 2006 and made astir 280 appearances for them complete a 14-year spell, including 3 years arsenic nine skipper betwixt 2014-17.

When I interviewed her for my book connected nan history of Barcelona's captains, she told me: "I don't cognize what a batch of group earned, but I was paid €200 [£168] a period erstwhile I arrived astatine Barca.

"It's existent that nan nine provided maine pinch an apartment. The nine besides helped maine pinch my studies, but I spent almost each my money connected nan metro ticket, which bought maine a three-month pass."

But it was astir truthful overmuch much than conscionable money. Playing conditions were primitive. Surfaces were ungraded pitches that doubled arsenic car parks connected matchdays and changing rooms were sheds crammed pinch up to 30 group and fitted pinch inadequate showers that would ever quickly tally retired of basking water.

"We didn't inquire for nan aforesaid financial earnings, because you besides person to beryllium alert of what men's and women's shot generate, but we did merit to play connected a decent transportation and to person a decent locker room," she said.

To adhd reproach to wounded they besides had to salary their ain recreation expenses to get not only to and from nan crushed for training, but besides connected matchdays. When they asked if they could beryllium reimbursed for their recreation costs, they were told nan money was not available. All nan men's teams, however, either had a autobus organised for them aliases would beryllium picked up by nan club.

And up until 2017, women were still wearing men's kit for some playing and training.

"When I arrived, we did our laundry astatine home. They gave america 2 aliases 3 sets, I don't retrieve precisely really many, and we washed them astatine home," Unzue said.

"They would springiness america nan smallest sizes but moreover that was excessively large for us."

Getting to distant games was different ordeal, Unzue explained: "We travelled almost ever by bus, isolated from for nan longer trips, for illustration Barcelona-Seville, wherever we flew.

"But from Barcelona to nan Basque Country, by bus; to Madrid, by bus; to Valencia, by bus... it was a agelong autobus ride, you arrived ace tired, you had to play nan crippled astatine 12 noon, return late, and connected apical of that, group were still working.

"There were a batch of group who arrived precocious astatine nighttime and had to spell to activity nan adjacent day."

The club's overmuch vaunted academy, La Masia, was besides out-of-bounds for nan women until very precocious - women person only been admitted into nan La Masia residency since 2021.

Things person improved considerably but location is still a monolithic divide. Bonmati is not conscionable nan top female subordinate connected nan planet, she is also, deservedly, nan highest paid. Her net past twelvemonth were €1m (£840,000). Her team-mate Putellas was nan second-highest earner connected €700,000 (£590,000). Barca's prima striker for nan men's side, Robert Lewandowski, is paid €30m (£25.3m).

So really did Barcelona's women's squad go nan queens of Europe?

On 30 March 2022 astatine nan Camp Nou, 91,553 turned retired to spot Barcelona trounce Real Madrid successful nan 2nd limb of nan Women's Champions League semi-final - 5-2 connected nan nighttime and 8-3 connected aggregate.

It hit nan erstwhile grounds for a women's lucifer group successful 1999 erstwhile 90,185 fans witnessed nan World Cup last betwixt nan United States and China astatine nan Pasadena Rose Bowl successful California.

But they opportunity that successful shot you study overmuch much from a dense conclusion than you do from a victory.

Back successful 2019 they were outfought, outthought and outclassed by Lyon successful their maiden Champions League last - a lucifer that was efficaciously complete aft conscionable 30 minutes, by which clip nan French broadside had scored four.

With Markel Zubizarreta successful spot arsenic sporting director, nan nine group astir creating a style copied and pasted from nan DNA of nan men's broadside - based connected pressure, passing and possession.

It was nan adjacent measurement aft professionalism had been embraced successful 2015.

That had not, however, brought instant occurrence and Barcelona were beaten by Atletico Madrid to nan convention title successful 2017, 2018 and 2019.

But they were building for nan early and showing players and fans alike that they were superior successful their intentions.

A €3.5m (£2.95m) garment sponsorship woody pinch hardware institution Stanley yet guaranteed players nan salaries they needed to attraction full-time connected football, helping to guarantee financial stableness and making nan women's conception financially independent from nan men's side.

A women's academy astatine La Masia was established, creating a level playing section pinch nan boys astatine nan club. Investment successful physiotherapists and nutritionists to guarantee that each players would beryllium arsenic fresh and patient arsenic they could perchance beryllium besides reaped dividends.

Finally, time, effort, seriousness - and supra all, respect - were being invested successful women's football, creating a exemplary of what women's athletics could look for illustration astatine its best.

A move from grounds extracurricular nan Camp Nou to nan Estadi Johan Cruyff, which is located astatine Barca's training installation and has a capacity of 6,000, helped to summation attendances.

With everything successful place, occurrence was only a matter of time.

Looking to motion homegrown talent and only bring successful those outer players that were disciples of nan club's ineffable style - aliases could astatine slightest accommodate to it - they won nan first of their 3 Champions Leagues successful 2021 successful Gothenburg, wherever they hit Chelsea 4-0.

Victory was particularly saccharine coming arsenic it did astatine a clip erstwhile nan men's first squad were going done a unspeakable run, having mislaid retired to Paris St-Germain successful nan past 16 of nan men's Champions League aft a 4-1 location conclusion sealed their fate.

In nan league, meanwhile, nan men's first squad could only play 3rd fiddle down Atletico and Real Madrid. That play Barcelona's footballing pridefulness was restored by its women's side, a squad that flourished successful a play erstwhile nan men's squad looked to person mislaid their way.

Barcelona person won each Spanish convention title since 2019-20 and their players made up 7 of Spain's starting XI for their 2023 World Cup last triumph against England. In addition, Bonmati picked up nan Golden Ball arsenic nan champion subordinate of nan tourney and her team-mate Salma Paralluelo picked up nan tournament's Best Young Player Award.

For galore Catalans, Barca has ever been "mes que un club" - much than a club. Never has that felt truer than now, pinch nan women's squad starring nan measurement successful nan world. They correspond not conscionable pride, but progress.

Arsenal await successful Lisbon this weekend. Then Atletico Madrid successful nan Copa de la Reina final. Two much wins would seal a 2nd consecutive Treble - a feat that would spot them among nan top nine sides successful shot history.

Alongside nan revival of nan men's first team, nan women person besides go nan heartbeat of FC Barcelona - not conscionable winning, but showing nan world what winning should look like.