
Barca Captains
The leaders that built the world's greatest football club
Guillem Balague(Author)
Seven Dials (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 6. August 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
256 pages
978-1-3996-3822-7 (ISBN)
Description
From Johan Cruyff to Lionel Messi, discover the legacy of the world's greatest football club through the players that captained it to glory.
Award-winning author Guillem Balague takes us on a fascinating tour of FC Barcelona, journeying through the storied walls of the Camp Nou and the legacies of Barca's captains to offer a history of the Catalan club. Guillem covers captains from all eras of Barca's past, from historic greats such as Joan Gamper and Johan Cruyff, decorated legends like Carles Puyol and Xavi, to recent captains Alexia Putellas, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. In doing so, Balague crafts a portrait of Barcelona's unique place in football as a sporting, cultural and social institution.
Guillem analyses the psychological profiles of Barca's captains, delving into the reasons why they were chosen to wear the armband and the leadership skills necessary to guide a team to victory. Through exclusive interviews with some of the most emblematic captains, including Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, Balague offers a vision of their commitment, character, dedication and responsibility. We discover how they led Barca to glory, how they maintained focus and discipline on the field, and how they left a lasting legacy on the Catalan club and its fans. In turn, we also witness their most difficult moments and their weaknesses, but it is their ability to overcome them that makes them true giants of football and legendary captains of FC Barcelona.
This is the definitive story of FC Barcelona, told through the captains that built it.
Award-winning author Guillem Balague takes us on a fascinating tour of FC Barcelona, journeying through the storied walls of the Camp Nou and the legacies of Barca's captains to offer a history of the Catalan club. Guillem covers captains from all eras of Barca's past, from historic greats such as Joan Gamper and Johan Cruyff, decorated legends like Carles Puyol and Xavi, to recent captains Alexia Putellas, Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets. In doing so, Balague crafts a portrait of Barcelona's unique place in football as a sporting, cultural and social institution.
Guillem analyses the psychological profiles of Barca's captains, delving into the reasons why they were chosen to wear the armband and the leadership skills necessary to guide a team to victory. Through exclusive interviews with some of the most emblematic captains, including Lionel Messi and Andres Iniesta, Balague offers a vision of their commitment, character, dedication and responsibility. We discover how they led Barca to glory, how they maintained focus and discipline on the field, and how they left a lasting legacy on the Catalan club and its fans. In turn, we also witness their most difficult moments and their weaknesses, but it is their ability to overcome them that makes them true giants of football and legendary captains of FC Barcelona.
This is the definitive story of FC Barcelona, told through the captains that built it.
Reviews / Votes
Guillem captures the true meaning of wearing the armband for Barca: responsibility, humility, leadership. * Andres Iniesta, former professional footballer for FC Barcelona and club captain between 2015-18 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-trade)
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 153 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-3996-3822-7 (9781399638227)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
approx. 08/2026
Seven Dials
€12.99
Not yet available
Person
Guillem Balague is an award-winning football author, journalist and presenter who works for BBC TV, BBC Radio 5 Live, ITV, LaLiga TV and the American network CBS. His books include A Season on the Brink; Pep Guardiola: Another Way of Winning; Messi; Cristiano Ronaldo; Brave New World: Inside Pochettino's Spurs; Maradona: The Boy, The Rebel, The God and Rise of the Villans: Inside Unai Emery's Aston Villa Revolution. Several of Guillem's books have been Sunday Times bestsellers and shortlisted for or won awards.
He is also chairman of Biggleswade United.
He is also chairman of Biggleswade United.