‘You don’t get tired of winning’ – How Barcelona became women’s football’s dominant force

Arsenal’s emphatic 4-1 win over Lyon to reach the women’s Champions League final was so impressive that even Aitana Bonmati was caught off guard.

‘For me, it was a big surprise Arsenal reaching the final,’ the Barcelona midfielder said earlier this week. ‘It was a big surprise, but a well deserved one.’

The Spanish midfielder is right, of course. Overturning a one-goal deficit away from home to knock out the eight-time champions was a remarkable display from Renee Slegers’ side and one few saw coming.

Victory earned Arsenal a place in their first Champions League final since 2007, but there is a little surprise as to the opposition that await them on Saturday in Lisbon.

Dispatching Wolfsburg 10-2 on aggregate in the quarter-finals and dismantling treble-winners Chelsea 8-2 in the semi-finals, Barcelona are back in the final for a fourth straight year.

The Catalan giants are eyeing up a third straight European crown and a second successive quadruple. They are the dominant force in women’s European football, and it’s easy to see why.

Progress and investment off the pitch

While only turning the women’s team professional in 2015, Barcelona were quick to pour money into upgrading the club’s facilities to give their players the optimal conditions to improve.

‘Ten years ago when I played for FC Barcelona, we covered our own transport costs, our parents brought us to training, and we didn’t earn any money,’ former Barcelona player Maria Garrido explained to BBC Sport last year.

‘But in the last five years, the situation has improved dramatically. There has been a substantial push to promote women’s football, including the creation of more youth categories, better facilities and conditions, and the establishment of a dedicated football academy for girls.’

Former sporting director Markel Zubizarreta was a key driver of this change, bringing women’s matches to the Nou Camp, which saw record attendances of over 91,000.

In turn, big-name sponsors have allowed the club to become the richest in the women’s game and generate almost 18million euros in revenue during last season alone.

Synergy with the men’s team

Investment alone is not a driver of on-pitch success, but Barcelona Femeni have managed to marry the two, winning every Spanish league title since 2019-20.

Much like the men’s team, Barcelona Femeni have made a point of focusing on possession-led football throughout their set-up. A women’s academy at La Masia was established in 2021 to ensure that the next generation of female stars can all play the Barca way.

And while able to produce large swathes of their own talent, Barcelona have also not been afraid to spend handsomely to add world-class talent to their squad.

Wide players Caroline Graham Hansen and Fridolina Rolfo both arrived from Wolfsburg in recent years, while England internationals Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh were also lured to Barcelona during the peak of their careers.

‘I just think they go the extra mile to ensure that the women’s team is in the best place to win,’ Walsh told the Financial Times in 2023. ‘It’s football culture – it’s not about the men’s or the women’s team – they just love football.’

‘You don’t get tired of winning’

While Jonatan Giraldez oversaw Barcelona’s dominance since 2021, sustaining that success has now fallen to his former assistant, Pere Romeu, after Giraldez left for American side Washington Spirit at the start of the season.

Despite guiding the team to the brink of another quadruple, Romeu’s side have still come under criticism, having lost more than once in a league season for the first time since 2018/19.

Such criticism is perhaps unwarranted, but it does speak to the mentality within the club – from supporters and players alike – that despite their successes, winning remains the only option.

‘We know it’s going to be tough, even tougher, because when you’ve done it once, it’s difficult to replicate because everybody will be watching you and trying to stop you,’ said Hansen ahead of Sunday’s final.

‘But it’s like you have to reset and try to do it again because you play football for the fun of it and the fun part is winning. You don’t get tired of winning in that sense because it’s what everybody’s trying to do and it’s the beauty of the game.’

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