FC Barcelona celebrates 124 years by presenting the Commissioner and Manifesto for the 125th Anniversary

FC Barcelona turns 124 today, and has used the occasion to hold an event to start the countdown to one year from now, 29 November 2024, when the club will be commemorating its 125th anniversary. The Manifesto was unveiled today together with the logo that the club will be using to celebrate the symbolic milestone. Club president Joan Laporta and members of his Board of Directors were in attendance along with other personalities linked to the club, including David Carabén, Commissioner of the 125th anniversary, an event scheduled to coincide with the return to the new Spotify Camp Nou in November 2024.

The event began with a welcome from Laporta, who introduced Carabén and thanked him for his willingness to be at the forefront of a “historical anniversary that will not only be a look back at the history of our club, but also a great opportunity to look to the future, and how the meaning of 'more than a club' is set to become stronger than ever."

Next came the turn of Carabén himself, who is the man in charge of coordinating and developing the conceptual framework for the celebrations and defining and promoting the different actions that will be happening all year long, through to the big day next November 29. He began by presenting the Manifesto, highlighting how "125 years on, we are still alive, but, above all, we have remained faithful to everything that sets us apart from all other clubs in the world." In his speech, the Commissioner stressed Barça's distinctive ownership model, its recognisable style of play, and invoked the memory of the club's founders: a Swiss striker, Joan Gamper, with two of his countrymen, two Englishmen, a German, an Aragonese and five Catalans.

Using the tagline 'Volem la pilota' ('We want the ball'), Carabén spoke of how the ball is all that matters in the way Barça plays, quoting Johan Cruyff's famous saying that "if you have the ball, the other team hasn't got it." And it is precisely this commitment to a very specific way of understanding the game that inspired the text of the Manifesto.

Now commemorative logo

The new logo that the club will be using throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary was also revealed in a video. Laporta and Carabén had the honour of unveiling the image of the 125th anniversary before a more informal discussion of the progress of the development work on Spotify Camp Nou.

"A time is coming when, provided there no mishaps, we will be celebrating the 125th anniversary in our stadium, which will be the culmination of one of the dreams of Barça fans," said Laporta. This is a great moment, with the meaning of 'more than a club' now stronger than ever."
Carabén added that "there aren't many institutions that have existed in three centuries that are in such a healthy state and are so central in everyone's minds."

Laporta closed the speeches by calling on fans to "live these moments with utmost emotion and commitment." He was then joined by his fellow members in blowing out the candles on the 124th birthday cake while listening to the new recording of the anthem by the Vallès Symphony Orchestra, Orfeó Català choral society and the Cor Jove youth choir. This new version is faithful to the essence of the original score and lyrics, but is better quality, with enhanced orchestration and vocals, and is the one that from now on will be played at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Estadi Johan Cruyff and Palau Blaugrana.

It's the club's birthday present to the fans after 124 amazing years.