Barcelona Are Back to Their Best: Are the Glory Days Returning to Catalonia?

Barcelona Are Back to Their Best: Are the Glory Days Returning to Catalonia?

It has been 11 years since Barcelona sat at the pinnacle of Europe, glory washing over their players, fans, and Catalonia, as they dismantled Juventus 3-1 in the final of the 2015 Champions League.

A cohort of world-class players donned the famous shirt, led by a particularly compelling trio in Neymar, Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi—dubbed MSN—leading the line.

It was the first season the triumvirate played together, with Suarez signing from Liverpool despite receiving a four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini. Big things were expected from the three, especially as the 2013/14 season had been seen as a huge disappointment by fans.

Their first match together was a disaster.

Genuinely don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. pic.twitter.com/Y0lZnCeWI3

— Neal 🇦🇺 (@NealGardner_) September 19, 2026

Following Suarez's suspension, their first fixture together was a 3-1 loss to rivals Real Madrid, allowing Los Blancos to move just one point behind them, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 21st of the season—pushing him even closer to his third Ballon d'Or.

By the end of the season, however, the Barcelona side had achieved greatness. They defeated defending champions Atletico Madrid 1-0 on the penultimate day of the season to win the league, defeated Athletic Bilbao 3-1 in the Copa del Rey final and, as mentioned, defeated Juventus by the same scoreline to achieve the treble.

Six of the seven goals scored by Barcelona in these key matches were scored by one of the MSN trio, while they scored 122 goals in 60 games in total.

Now, it finally looks like the Catalan giants led by Hansi Flick are heading towards the zenith of Europe once again, with the side starting the season in fine form and looking like one of the best on the continent.

Barcelona’s New Generation

Eight games, 36 goals, just eight conceded. Barcelona are averaging 4.5 goals per match, while conceding just one.

Their new front three—Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and, most commonly, Anthony Gordon—could even put MSN to shame this season, with the three players currently combining for a total of 22 goals and 14 assists.

Yamal, still only 19 years of age, has 14 goal contributions himself, while Raphinha has started the season in the form of his life with 14 goals and three assists.

For the FIRST TIME EVER, Barcelona have scored over 30 goals in their first 7 matches in all comps 🤯

THEY ARE A SCORING MACHINE THIS SEASON 🦿 pic.twitter.com/bM926ILxao

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) September 16, 2026

But it is not just the front three that has been impressing fans. Barcelona have built the squad on a strong foundation filled with a cohort of Spaniards and Catalans, with a sprinkle of other nations dotted throughout.

Fanatical goalkeeper Joan Garcia is backed up by a defensive duo of Pau Cubarsi and Eric Garcia, who are flanked by Xavi Espart and Joao Cancelo. In midfield, new signing Rodri has hit the ground running, and he is supported by any of Fermin Lopez, Dani Olmo, Marc Bernal and Gavi.

The most impressive thing about their team?

Of the 13 players mentioned, eight are La Masia graduates, while seldom-used substitute Alejandro Balde is also a product of the famous academy.

Barcelona have not gone through a bad period in the past decade—to say that would be foolish.

Have they underperformed? Yes. Have they had bad results?

Of course. The 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich is one of the most embarrassing results suffered by a behemoth of a side.

Simply put, since the 2014/15 season, Barcelona have won six league titles—double that of any other side—five Copa del Rey titles—triple more than any other side—and have made deep runs in European competitions. A

nd although they are yet to get their hands on their sixth Champions League title, the flower is slowly blossoming.

For years, Barcelona have been trying to rediscover the colour, confidence and brilliance that once made them the envy of European football. The petals are beginning to open again, one by one. The flower is not yet in full bloom; we must wait until at least spring to see whether it will effloresce, but after years of waiting, Catalonia can finally see the first signs of something beautiful returning.