10 interesting facts about FC Barcelona

#5 Barcelona are the first sports team with an annual first-team pay of more than £10 million

Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann (from left to right)

Barcelona are one of the biggest football clubs in the world, both on and off the pitch. Led by their inspirational captain, Lionel Messi, the club also have one of the highest wage bills in the world.

According to the latest global Sports Salary Survey, Barcelona are the first sports team in the world to have an average first-team pay of over £10 million (€11.3 million).

Last season, Barcelona had an average annual player salary of $12.28 million, with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann the three highest earners. Messi, in particular, earns around $35 million a year, which translates to roughly $646,000 (€540,000) a week, making him one of the highest earners in the sport from wages alone.

This is Messi's wage package at Barcelona according to Football Leaks: 60.395.769 euro basic yearly wages (£988.000 a week), £9.100.000 per year on image rights, £13.000.000 a year on possible bonuses plus signing on & loyalty fee (£120.000.000 over 5 years).Quite a load. pic.twitter.com/LOaUoogZuq

— Kristof Terreur 📰🎥 (@HLNinEngeland) August 25, 2020

#6 Barcelona are the first team to win the continental treble on multiple occasions

Barcelona won their second continental treble in 2014-15.

Six years after becoming the first Spanish team to win the continental treble in 2008-09, Barcelona won their third Champions League title in six years to become the first team in history to win the coveted treble on multiple occasions.

Five years later, in a COVID-19-ravaged season, Bavarian giants Bayern Munich won the continental treble for the second time in their history to emulate Barcelona as the only teams to win the domestic league, league cup and European Cup in the same season on more than one occasion.

Bayern and Barcelona are the only 2 teams to win the Treble twice.🤝 pic.twitter.com/Q03KieXcyL

— Barça Worldwide (@BarcaWorldwide) August 23, 2020

#7 Barcelona have the most Ballon d'Or wins than any other club

Last year, Lionel Messi won a record sixth Ballon d'Or award.

Breaking a tie with Cristiano Ronaldo, last year Lionel Messi won a record sixth Ballon d'or award to cap off a wonderful season for Barcelona.

Lionel Messi from @FCBarcelona is the 2019 Ballon d'Or winner! THAT'S HIS SIXTH ONE! #ballondor pic.twitter.com/dLndTZNeeW

— France Football (@francefootball) December 2, 2019

In the process, Barcelona overtook Real Madrid as the club with the most Ballon d'Or wins. The Catalan club now have 12 Ballon d'Or wins, with Lionel Messi alone accounting for half of that tally and five different players accounting for the six other wins.

Barcelona's talismanic captain is the only player in history to win the coveted honour in four consecutive years, doing so from 2009 to 2012. Messi won his fifth Ballon d'Or award in 2015.

The diminutive Argentinian is also the only player to win more than four Ballon d'Or awards for the same club, doing so for Barcelona - the only club he has played for during his illustrious career.