Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: FC Barcelona, Barcelona
John McDougall
Barcelona are one of the most famous football clubs in the world with a rich history behind them but why do the Catalan side play in red and blue?
The Camp Nou outfit was founded back in 1899 just before the dawn of the 20th century and throughout the following 125 years have gone on to become one of the most recognised names in world football as well as one of the most supported teams on the planet.
Barca hold the Spanish domestic record for the number of trophies won, which includes 27 La Liga titles, 31 Copa del Reys, and 14 Supercopa de Espana.
The club won its first Champions League title back in 1992 and have won four more since then, the most recent being in 2015 - only Liverpool, Bayern Munich, AC Milan and Real Madrid have won the famous trophy on more occasions.
The football club has become entwined with Catalonia's national identity and culture, thus leading to its 'more than a club' motto.
Advert
La Masia, the club's famed academy, has been credited with producing some of the best players in football history including the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Carles Puyol, Sergio Busquets and, of course, Lionel Messi, with Lamine Yamal the latest starlet to emerge.
Throughout the club's history, its players have donned a now iconic home kit of blue and red, which also means one of its nicknames is the Blaugrana, which quite literally translates to 'blue and garnet', a shade of red.
But as with any club, there is an explanation behind the colours of a club's strip. The club's foundations are a key reason as to why.
Advert
Barcelona was founded in 1899 by a group of footballers from a range of nations including England, Germany, Switzerland and Catalonia itself, led by Joan Gamper.
The club's training ground is named after Gamper, who was born in Switzerland and also founded Zurich in his native country, before setting up Barcelona.
The theories behind why Barcelona play in the colours they do are detailed by Barca Blog and are numerous, with the most popular explanation being that Gamper simply copied the colours of Basel, the team he supported, when he made the move to the city and established the new Catalan team.
Another theory cited is that one of the club's early presidents Arthur Whitty chose the colours based on those of his primary school called Merchant Taylors as a tribute to his childhood.
Advert
And other theories range from it being a mix of the Swiss and Zurich flags, replicating pencil colours from the period, or even that one of the player's mothers knitted kits with colours to make the Barcelona players stand out on the pitch.
It is unclear which one is the unquestionably true reason behind why Barcelona play in red and blue, but there are some fascinating theories behind it.