With a rich history of success, Barcelona ranks as one of the world's top five clubs. The football club boasts a massive following, including support from famous Barcelona fans, who attract even more fans to the La Liga giants.
With over 328 million followers on social media platforms, including 114+ million on Facebook, 129+ million on Instagram, 49+ million on X, and at least 36 million on TikTok, the fan-owned football club have a strong following, further boosted by support from famous former players like Lionel Messi and Ronaldinho.
This post provides our readers with comprehensive information on famous Barcelona fans, so read on for details.
Does Bill Gates support Barcelona?
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When Bill Gates visited Barca during Pep Guardiola's reign, it became a trending story, and questions were raised about whether he was a supporter of the Catalans or if it was purely a business partnership engagement.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's involvement with Barca products, including the famous jersey, in promoting social causes wasn't new after the club partnered with UNICEF. However, their choice of the club sparked endless debate among the club's supporters.
Still, the billionaire is said to be a true supporter of Barcelona and it did not start with the 2006 UNICEF partnership in promoting children's rights and health.
Barca's status as the most socially committed club in the world must have had a strong influence on Bill Gates, given the billionaire's interest in such issues. Gates spends billions of dollars on causes such as children's health through WHO and UNICEF.
Celebrities and TV/film stars who are famous Barcelona fans
With fame comes a celebrity status that follows individuals in sports, music, and film. Thus, just like many popular football clubs that enjoy massive support from popular celebrities, Barcelona is not short of a string of celebrity supporters behind the club's powerful public relations efforts.
Popular TV/film stars and celebrity artists have always been among the VIP ticket holders at Nou Camp, cheering for Barca against their opponents.
We have also seen instances where celebrities like film stars and musicians openly declare their allegiance to the Catalans. For this reason, here is a list of popular celebrities who support Barcelona.
Kobe Bryant
NBA legend Kobe Bryant was a confessed Barcelona supporter. The basketball icon who played for the Lakers admitted in an interview with Barca TV that he prefers Barcelona to Los Blancos. In 2007, Bryant was featured on the cover of ESPN magazine, a year after meeting FC Barcelona's first team at a promotional event held in Koda Theatre in Los Angeles.
Bryant even followed Barcelona on social media platforms such as Instagram, including former Barca players such as Ronaldinho. It means that he always wanted to catch up with the latest news and events regarding the football club he loved.
Ranbir Kapoor
The famous Bollywood film star is no stranger to things Barcelona. He is a die-hard Los Cules. Ranbir Kapoor, now the Barca ambassador to India, is one of the famous Barcelona fans who have openly declared allegiance to the Catalans.
On 25 November 2022, Barcelona congratulated Kapoor when his wife delivered a newborn.
Congratulations, @aliaa08 & Ranbir Kapoor!! A new Barça fan is born 👶. We can’t wait to meet you all in Barcelona. pic.twitter.com/Lef3P4DPe2
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) November 25, 2022
Soon after Kapoor was made the Barca ambassador he expressed his appreciation, saying it was an honour to associate himself with the Spanish giants.
Further, the movie star described how he became a Barca fan in the early 1990s. He has visited Barcala on many occasions and was sometimes seen in the company of famous players such as Gerard Pique.
Shakira
While some have always associated Shakira's support to Barcelona with being a wife to former player Pique, it goes beyond that. Like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Shakira's foundation, Pies Descalzo, had a mission when they partnered with the club.
Shakira's partnership with Barcelona was effected in 2011 during a match between Chivas of Guadalajara and FC Barcelona at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami.
As a celebrity ranked highly among famous Barcelona fans, the partnership aimed to create opportunities for Miami communities and promote unity through sports.
Singer Manu Chao composed a song in praise of Los Cules
We have had many songs dedicated to La Blaugrana. However, when a celebrity like Manu Chao composes a fan song for Barcelona, it becomes a big deal and something special, even for the millions of fans.
Chao is a Spanish and French contemporary musician who composed the song Rumba de Barcelona. It captures the essence of being a true Barca fan and, most importantly, the singer's love for the club.
Juan Casals
As one of the most famous Barcelona fans, Juan Casals was regarded as the club's oldest supporter. For many years, Casals demonstrated his unwavering allegiance to the La Blaugrana, following the club almost everywhere they went.
Until his demise in February 2024 at the age of 90, Casals was greatly loved among the Barca community of communities. The club recognized its oldest fan as the official representative during Penya meetings in 2007. Soon after his death, the club mourned their most loyal supporter, who called him Barca Grandfather.
Casals became a famous supporter of Barca in 1984 when he was featured in a cartoon illustration by Valenty Castanys wearing a La Blaugrana jersey. Thanks to his iconic white beard, Casals always drew admiration from supporters at every game he attended.
El FC Barcelona vol mostrar el seu condol per la mort de Joan Casals, conegut com l'Avi del Barça.
Descansi en pau pic.twitter.com/7PodcfgZ34
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona_cat) February 15, 2024
Other famous Barcelona fans
Like any other club, such as Manchester United or Chelsea, with a long list of popular supporters, we cannot exhaust the list of famous Barcelona supporters in this post. With that, let's quickly make an honourable mention of other renowned supporters of the Catalans such as Josep Maria Carreras, a tenor artist in Barcelona.
Former Spanish tennis players Alex Corretja and Aranta Sanchez are other notable Los Cules fans, as are former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who was said to support Barcelona during his free time.
Jordi Puyol, a retired Catalan politician who was a member of Los Cules's army of fans, joins the long list of famous Barcelona fans. Puyol was the Generalitat de Catalunya president from 1980 to 2003. American rapper and entertainer Snoop Dogg, former player Cesc Fabregas, and an American TV celebrity also join our rich list of renowned Barca fans.