Is Barcelona 100% fan-owned?

Barcelona is indeed unique among major European football clubs. Being fan-owned means the club belongs directly to its members, known as socios.

Here are a few key details about how this ownership model works:

• The Socios: There are over 140,000 socios who pay an annual membership fee (around €225) to maintain their status.

• Democratic Control: Socios have voting rights in club elections, allowing them to elect the club president and board of directors, as well as vote on major financial or institutional decisions.

• Non-Profit Structure: Unlike corporate-owned clubs, Barcelona operates as a non-profit sports association. Any financial surplus generated by the club is reinvested back into the squad, facilities, and the club's famous La Masia youth academy rather than distributed as dividends to shareholders.

Alongside clubs like Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and Osasuna in Spain, Barcelona remains one of the few remaining bastions of the traditional fan-owned model in top-flight European football.