During the 2003–04 Spanish football season, Barcelona competed in La Liga, Copa del Rey and UEFA Cup.
Season summary
After the disappointment of the Joan Gaspart era, the combination of a new young president Joan Laporta and a new manager, former Dutch and Milan star Frank Rijkaard, saw Barcelona bounce back. Guided by new management off the pitch and the likes of future FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho on the pitch, Barça achieved second place behind Valencia in the league.
Barcelona competed in the UEFA Cup rather than the UEFA Champions League for the first time since the 1995–96 season, given their sixth-place finish in 2002–03.
The BBC made a documentary, titled FC Barcelona Confidential, based on the turn of events in the league after Joan Laporta's entry. With his arrival, the club experienced a new style of management that returned the club into a positive cycle, with an inherited massive financial debt crisis was resolved. The season saw Barcelona's spectacular return to form, finishing second after being at the bottom of the table.
Squad
Source Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GK | TUR | Rüştü Reçber |
| 2 | DF | NED | Michael Reiziger |
| 3 | MF | NED | Edgar Davids |
| 4 | DF | MEX | Rafael Márquez |
| 5 | DF | ESP | Carles Puyol |
| 6 | MF | ESP | Xavi |
| 7 | FW | ARG | Javier Saviola |
| 8 | MF | NED | Phillip Cocu |
| 9 | FW | NED | Patrick Kluivert |
| 10 | MF | BRA | Ronaldinho |
| 11 | MF | NED | Marc Overmars |
| 12 | DF | NED | Giovanni van Bronckhorst |
| 14 | MF | ESP | Gerard |
| 16 | DF | ESP | Mario |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 | MF | ESP | Gabri |
| 20 | MF | POR | Ricardo Quaresma |
| 21 | MF | ESP | Luis Enrique (captain) |
| 22 | MF | ESP | Luis García |
| 23 | MF | BRA | Thiago Motta |
| 24 | MF | ESP | Andrés Iniesta |
| 25 | GK | ESP | Víctor Valdés |
| 26 | MF | ESP | Ramón Ros |
| 27 | DF | ESP | Óscar López |
| 28 | GK | ESP | Albert Jorquera |
| 32 | DF | ESP | Oleguer |
| 36 | FW | ESP | Sergio García |
| 37 | MF | ESP | Sergio Santamaría |
In
| No. |
Pos. |
Nat. |
Name |
Age |
EU |
Moving from |
Type |
Transfer window |
Ends |
Transfer fee |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | FW | Ronaldinho | 23 | Non-EU | Paris Saint-Germain | Transfer | Summer | 2008 | €27M | ||
| 20 | MF | Ricardo Quaresma | 19 | EU | Sporting CP | Transfer | Summer | N/A | €16.25M | ||
| 1 | GK | Rüştü | 30 | Non-EU | Fenerbahçe | Transfer | Summer | 2007 | Free | ||
| 4 | DF | Márquez | 24 | EU | Monaco | Transfer | Summer | 2007 | €5.25M | ||
| 22 | MF | Luis García | 24 | EU | Atlético Madrid | Transfer | Summer | N/A | ? | ||
| 12 | DF | Giovanni van Bronckhorst | 30 | EU | Arsenal | Loan → | Summer | 2004 | N/A | ||
| 3 | MF | Davids | 30 | EU | Juventus | Loan → | Winter | 2004 | €2M | ||
| 16 | DF | Mario | 21 | EU | Valladolid | Loan → | Summer | 2004 | N/A | ||
| 24 | MF | Andrés Iniesta | 19 | EU | Youth system | Promote | Summer | N/A | Free | ||
| 25 | GK | Víctor Valdés | 21 | EU | Youth system | Promote | Summer | N/A | Free | ||
| 32 | DF | Oleguer | 23 | EU | Youth system | Promote | Winter | N/A | Free |
Total spending: €50.5 million
Out
| No. |
Pos. |
Nat. |
Name |
Age |
EU |
Moving to |
Type |
Transfer window |
Transfer fee |
Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | MF | Fàbregas | 16 | EU | Arsenal | Transfer | Summer | €0.25M | ||
| 3 | DF | de Boer | 33 | EU | Galatasaray | Contract termination | Summer | Free | ||
| 1 | GK | Bonano | 33 | EU | Murcia | Transfer | Summer | Free | ||
| 12 | DF | Christanval | 24 | EU | Marseille | Transfer | Summer | Free | ||
| 20 | FW | Alfonso | 30 | EU | Betis | Contract termination | Summer | Free | ||
| 3 | DF | Andersson | 31 | EU | Malmö FF | Contract termination | Winter | Free | ||
| 22 | FW | Geovanni | 24 | Non-EU | Benfica | Transfer | Winter | Free | ||
| 10 | MF | Riquelme | 25 | Non-EU | Villarreal | Loan → | Summer | N/A | ||
| 15 | MF | Rochemback | 22 | Non-EU | Sporting CP | Loan → | Summer | €2.5M | ||
| 35 | DF | Navarro | 21 | EU | Albacete | Loan → | Winter | N/A | ||
| 25 | GK | Enke | 25 | EU | Fenerbahçe | Loan → | Summer | €0.4M | ||
| 27 | MF | Trashorras | 22 | EU | Real Madrid | Transfer | Summer | Free | ||
| 33 | DF | Tortolero | 21 | EU | Elche | Transfer | Summer | Free |
Total income: €3.15 million
|}
Last updated: 1 October
Competitions
La Liga
League table
| Pos | Team
|
Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Valencia (C) | 38 | 23 | 8 | 7 | 71 | 27 | +44 | 77 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Barcelona | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 63 | 39 | +24 | 72 | |
| 3 | Deportivo La Coruña | 38 | 21 | 8 | 9 | 60 | 34 | +26 | 71 | Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round |
| 4 | Real Madrid | 38 | 21 | 7 | 10 | 72 | 54 | +18 | 70 | |
| 5 | Athletic Bilbao | 38 | 15 | 11 | 12 | 53 | 49 | +4 | 56 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
Source: LFP
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals scored; 5th goal difference; 6th number of goals scored; 7th Fair-play points
(C) Champions
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head goals scored; 5th goal difference; 6th number of goals scored; 7th Fair-play points
(C) Champions
Results by Round
| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A |
| Result | W | D | W | D | D | L | L | W | W | D | W | L | D | L | L | W | D | L | W | D | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | W | L | W | L |
| Position | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
Matches
| 30 August 2003 1 | Athletic Bilbao | 0–1 | Barcelona | Bilbao |
| Cocu 11' | Stadium: San Mames |
| 3 September 2003 2 | Barcelona | 1–1 | Sevilla | Barcelona |
| Ronaldinho 58' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 14 September 2003 3 | Albacete | 1–2 | Barcelona | Albacete |
| Cocu 2' Luis Enrique 67' |
Stadium: Estadio Carlos Belmonte |
| 28 September 2003 5 | Atlético Madrid | 0–0 | Barcelona | Madrid |
| Stadium: Estadio Vicente Calderon |
| 18 October 2003 7 | Barcelona | 0–2 | Deportivo La Coruña | Barcelona |
| Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 26 October 2003 8 | Mallorca | 1–3 | Barcelona | Palma de Mallorca |
| Saviola 10' Ronaldinho 22' Cocu 50' |
Stadium: Son Moix |
| 29 October 2003 9 | Barcelona | 3–0 | Real Murcia | Barcelona |
| Saviola 38' Xavi 56' Ronaldinho 65' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 2 November 2003 10 | Real Sociedad | 3–3 | Barcelona | San Sebastián |
| Motta 35' Overmars 71' Gabri 80' |
Stadium: Reale Arena |
| 9 November 2003 11 | Barcelona | 2–1 | Real Betis | Barcelona |
| Kluivert 42' Márquez 82' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 22 November 2003 12 | Villarreal | 2–1 | Barcelona | Villarreal |
| Kluivert 71' | Stadium: Estadio de la Cerámica |
| 30 November 2003 13 | Barcelona | 0–0 | Valladolid | Barcelona |
| Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 3 December 2003 14 | Málaga | 5–1 | Barcelona | Málaga |
| Sanz 78' (own goal) | Stadium: La Rosaleda |
| 6 December 2003 15 | Barcelona | 1–2 | Real Madrid | Barcelona |
| Kluivert 83' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 13 December 2003 16 | Espanyol | 1–3 | Barcelona | Cornellá de Llobregat |
| Ronaldinho 10' Kluivert 80' Kluivert 86' |
Stadium: RCDE Stadium |
| 21 December 2003 17 | Barcelona | 1–1 | Celta Vigo | Barcelona |
| Phillip Cocu 69' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 4 January 2004 18 | Racing Santander | 3–0 | Barcelona | Santander |
| Stadium: Campos de Sport de El Sardinero |
| 11 January 2004 19 | Barcelona | 3–0 | Zaragoza | Barcelona |
| Saviola 24' Ronaldinho 45' Xavi 65' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 17 January 2004 20 | Barcelona | 1–1 | Athletic Bilbao | Barcelona |
| Kluivert 62' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 25 January 2004 21 | Sevilla | 0–1 | Barcelona | Sevilla |
| Kluivert 30' | Stadium: Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium |
| 1 February 2004 22 | Barcelona | 5–0 | Albacete | Barcelona |
| Xavi 15' Saviola 49' Quaresma 52' Davids 53' Luis Enrique 90' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 8 February 2004 23 | Osasuna | 1–2 | Barcelona | Pamplona |
| 19:00 CET | Saviola 42' Ronaldinho 76' |
Stadium: El Sadar Stadium |
| 15 February 2004 24 | Barcelona | 3–1 | Atlético Madrid | Barcelona |
| 19:00 CET | Saviola 9' Ronaldinho 24' L. García 43' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 29 February 2004 26 | Deportivo La Coruña | 2–3 | Barcelona | A Coruña |
| Ronaldinho 26' Ronaldinho 48' Saviola 29' |
Stadium: Estadio Riazor |
| 7 March 2004 27 | Barcelona | 3–2 | Mallorca | Barcelona |
| L. García 2' L. García 57' Luis Enrique 15' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 14 March 2004 28 | Real Murcia | 0–2 | Barcelona | Murcia |
| Saviola 4' Ronaldinho 61' |
Stadium: Estadio Nueva Condomina |
| 21 March 2004 29 | Barcelona | 1–0 | Real Sociedad | Barcelona |
| Ronaldinho 88' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 3 April 2004 30 | Barcelona | 0–0 | Villarreal | Barcelona |
| Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 10 April 2004 31 | Valladolid | 1–3 | Barcelona | Valladolid |
| 18:00 CEST | Saviola 2' Ronaldinho 30' Iniesta 84' |
Stadium: Estadio José Zorrilla |
| 14 April 2004 32 | Real Betis | 1–1 | Barcelona | Sevilla |
| Saviola 4' | Stadium: Estadio Benito Villamarín |
| 18 April 2004 33 | Barcelona | 3–0 | Málaga | Barcelona |
| Saviola 18' L. García 23' Cocu 34' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 25 April 2004 34 | Real Madrid | 1–2 | Barcelona | Madrid |
| Kluivert 56' Xavi 86' |
Stadium: Santiago Bernabeu |
| 2 May 2004 35 | Barcelona | 4–1 | Espanyol | Barcelona |
| Ronaldinho 34' Saviola 43' Saviola 57' Van Bronckhorst 54' |
Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 8 May 2004 36 | Celta Vigo | 1–0 | Barcelona | Vigo |
| Stadium: Balaídos |
| 16 May 2004 37 | Barcelona | 1–0 | Racing Santander | Barcelona |
| Ronaldinho 15' | Stadium: Camp Nou |
| 23 May 2004 38 | Zaragoza | 2–1 | Barcelona | Zaragoza |
| 9' Saviola | Stadium: La Romareda |
Copa del Rey
| 7 October 2003 Round of 64 | Gramenet | 0–1 | Barcelona | Sant Adrià de Besòs |
| Ronaldinho 83' | Stadium: Municipal de Sant Adrià Attendance: 3,500 Referee: Evaristo Puentes Leira |
| 17 December 2003 Round of 32 | Ciudad de Murcia | 0–4 | Barcelona | Murcia |
| Saviola 24' Overmars 75', 86' Ronaldinho 90' (pen.) |
Stadium: Estadio de La Condomina Attendance: 10,500 Referee: Luis Medina Cantalejo |
| 8 January 2004 Round of 16, First Leg | Levante | 1–0 | Barcelona | Valencia |
| Rivera 10' (pen.) | Stadium: Ciutat de València Attendance: 28,196 Referee: Julián Rodríguez Santiago |
| 14 January 2004 Round of 16, Second Leg | Barcelona | 3–1 (3–2 agg.) | Levante | Barcelona |
| Iniesta 3' Saviola 45' Ronaldinho 66' (pen.) |
Congo 80' | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 41,427 Referee: José Losantos Omar |
| 22 January 2004 Quarter-finals, First Leg | Barcelona | 0–1 | Zaragoza | Barcelona |
| Report | Villa 74' (pen.) | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 46,506 Referee: Carlos Megía Dávila |
| 29 January 2004 Quarter-finals, Second Leg | Zaragoza | 1–1 (2–1 agg.) | Barcelona | Zaragoza |
| Yordi 85' | Report | L. García 12' | Stadium: La Romareda Attendance: 28,000 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco |
UEFA Cup
| 24 September 2003 First Round, First Leg | Matador Púchov | 1–1 | Barcelona | Trnava, Slovakia |
| Jambor 90+3' | Report | Kluivert 49' | Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského Attendance: 18,500 Referee: Kuddusi Müftüoğlu (Turkey) |
| 15 October 2003 First Round, Second Leg | Barcelona | 8–0 (9–1 agg.) | Matador Púchov | Barcelona, Spain |
| Ronaldinho 7', 20', 57' Motta 41' Luis Enrique 64', 75' Saviola 73', 89' |
Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 29,000 Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz (Denmark) |
| 6 November 2003 Second Round, First leg | Panionios | 0–3 | Barcelona | Athens, Greece |
| Report | Luis García 43' Kluivert 47' Xavi 90+2' |
Stadium: Nea Smyrni Stadium Attendance: 10,000 Referee: Jacek Granat (Poland) |
| 27 November 2003 Second Round, Second Leg | Barcelona | 2–0 (5–0 agg.) | Panionios | Barcelona, Spain |
| Saviola 33' Luis García 44' |
Report | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 25,324 Referee: Claude Colombo (France) |
| 26 February 2004 Third Round, First Leg | Brøndby | 0–1 | Barcelona | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 20:30 | Report | Ronaldinho 63' | Stadium: Brøndby Stadium, Attendance: 26,031 Referee: Frank De Bleeckere (Belgium) |
| 3 March 2004 Third Round, Second Leg | Barcelona | 2–1 (3–1 agg.) | Brøndby | Barcelona, Spain |
| Luis García 31' Cocu 43' |
Report | Nielsen 84' | Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 50,000 Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland) |
| 11 March 2004 Fourth Round, First Leg | Celtic | 1–0 | Barcelona | Glasgow, Scotland |
| 20:30 | Thompson 59' | Report | Stadium: Celtic Park, Attendance: 59,539 Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany) |
Statistics
Players statistics
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | La Liga | Copa del Rey | UEFA Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 25 | GK | ESP | Valdes | 44 | -38 | 33 | -31 | 6 | -4 | 5 | -3 |
| 2 | DF | NED | Reiziger | 40 | 0 | 29+1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | ESP | Puyol | 38 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | MEX | Marquez | 31 | 1 | 17+5 | 1 | 5+1 | 0 | 2+1 | 0 |
| 12 | DF | NED | van Bronckhorst | 44 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | NED | Cocu | 48 | 6 | 36 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | ESP | Xavi | 49 | 5 | 34+2 | 4 | 5+1 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| 3 | MF | NED | Davids | 20 | 1 | 18 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 22 | FW | ESP | Luis García | 38 | 8 | 23+2 | 4 | 5+1 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| 7 | FW | ARG | Saviola | 46 | 19 | 28+5 | 14 | 5+1 | 2 | 6+1 | 3 |
| 10 | FW | BRA | Ronaldinho | 45 | 21 | 32 | 14 | 5+1 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| 1 | GK | TUR | Recber | 7 | -6 | 3+1 | -6 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 32 | DF | ESP | Oleguer | 24 | 0 | 17+1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 23 | MF | BRA | Motta | 26 | 2 | 13+7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 18 | MF | ESP | Gabri | 22 | 1 | 12+4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4+1 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | NED | Kluivert | 26 | 10 | 11+10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1+2 | 2 |
| 14 | MF | ESP | Gerard | 28 | 1 | 11+8 | 1 | 2+2 | 0 | 2+3 | 0 |
| 20 | MF | POR | Quaresma | 28 | 1 | 10+12 | 1 | 1+1 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 |
| 21 | MF | ESP | Luis Enrique | 30 | 5 | 10+14 | 3 | 0+1 | 0 | 4+1 | 2 |
| 11 | MF | NED | Overmars | 31 | 3 | 5+15 | 1 | 1+2 | 2 | 1+7 | 0 |
| 24 | MF | ESP | Iniesta | 17 | 2 | 5+6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0+3 | 0 |
| 27 | DF | ESP | Óscar López | 11 | 0 | 2+4 | 0 | 1+2 | 0 | 1+1 | 0 |
| 28 | GK | ESP | Jorquera | 2 | -2 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 36 | FW | ESP | Sergio García | 7 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 |
| 16 | DF | ESP | Mario | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 26 | MF | ESP | Ros | 2 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 37 | MF | ESP | Santamaria | 4 | 0 | 1+3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3† | DF | SWE | Andersson | 5 | 0 | 2+2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
- Source:
Results
| Date | Competition | Opponent | H / A | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 July 2003 | Friendly | Juventus | N | 2–2 (5–6p) |
| 30 July 2003 | Friendly | Milan | N | 0–2 |
| 3 August 2003 | Friendly | Manchester United | N | 3–1 |
| 8 August 2003 | Friendly | Leicester City | A | 0–1 |
| 10 August 2003 | Friendly | Manchester City | A | 2–1 |
| 12 August 2003 | Friendly | Derry City | A | 0–5 |
| 16 August 2003 | Festa d'Elx Trophy | Elx | A | 0–0 (1–3p) |
| 22 August 2003 | Joan Gamper Trophy | Boca Juniors | H | 1–1 (5–3p) |
| 24 August 2003 | Copa Catalunya (semi-final) | Girona | A | 0–4 |
| 26 August 2003 | Copa Catalunya (final) | Espanyol | N | 0–1 |
| 1 October 2003 | 87th Anniversary of Club Amèrica | Club América | A | 2–0 |
| 16 November 2003 | Friendly | Porto | A | 2–0 |
| 9 December 2003 | Friendly | Sabadell | A | 1–3 |
| 11 February 2004 | Friendly | Figueres | A | 1–1 |
| 18 February 2004 | Friendly | Shakhtar Donetsk | H | 3–2 |
| 21 April 2004 | Friendly | China | H | 6–0 |
