President Bartomeu highlights Barça's key role at draw in Monaco

'It’s ten years now that we have been at the forefront of European Football and to receive recognition for that is very satisfying,' explained the president

The FC Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed that in Monaco there was a “great Barça atmosphere”. The tribute to the Club for its five Champions League wins with the presence of Andoni Zubizarreta, Juliano Belletti, Carles Puyol, Éric Abidal and Andrés Iniesta, the awards of Best UEFA Player of the Year and Best Goal of the Champions League for Leo Messi and the award for Save of the Season for Ter Stegen meant there was a blaugrana tinge to proceedings at the draw.

“I am very happy. UEFA have paid tribute to Barça and its fans, something we have been working and fighting towards for a long time. It’s ten years now that we have been at the forefront of European Football and to receive recognition for that is very satisfying,” declared Bartomeu.

The Barça president also gave his thoughts on the draw that saw Barça placed in Group E alongside Bayer Leverkusen, AS Roma and BATE Borisov: “It’s fine, it is an interesting group for Barça fans.” Nevertheless, he added that “nothing is easy” and that “it will be hard work” to get through to the knock out stages of the Champions League.

UEFA paid tribute on Thursday to FC Barcelona’s five victories in the Champions League. During the gala for the draw for the group stage of this season’s competition in which Leo Messi was also awarded the prize for Best Player of the Year, there was recognition for the Club as they now have earned the UEFA ‘Badge of Honour’, awarded to teams who have won the competition on five separate occasions or three consecutive occasions.

There was a Barça representative for each of the trophies won: Juliano Belletti, Carles Puyol, Éric Abidal and Andrés Iniesta, the latter taking the stage with the famous trophy following on from the blaugranes’ most recent win in 2015. The other four representatives played a part in the draw for the group phase of the 2015/16 competition.

A decade of dominance

Of the five win in the Champions League, a total of four have been won in the last decade. Since 2006, FC Barcelona have been the dominant force in European Football. Aside from those four victories in the continent’s most important club competition, a total of three European Super Cups and two World Club Cups have to be added. In total, nine trophies in ten years, their nearest rival Sevilla have won five in that time.

In their recent UEFA Super Cup victory in Tbilisi over Sevilla, FC Barcelona wore a logo on their left sleeve in honour of their five Champions League successes.

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