2003–04 FC Barcelona season
During the 2003–04 Spanish football season, Barcelona competed in La Liga.
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
SourceIn
Total spending: €50.5 millionOut
Total income: €3.15 millionStatistics
Top scorers
Competitions
La Liga
League Table
Results by Round
Matches
Copa del Rey
UEFA Cup
Results
Date | Competition | Opponent | H / A | Result |
27 July 2003 | Friendly | Juventus | N | 2–2 |
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 |
22 August 2003 | Joan Gamper Trophy | Boca Juniors | H | 1–1 |
24 August 2003 | Copa Catalunya | Girona | A | 0–4 |
26 August 2003 | Copa Catalunya | 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 |