'More than a Club.'
That's the long-standing motto and image that Barcelona football club has wished upon the world for many years.
It is an image the club has carefully cultivated over decades, but could the deal that brought Brazilian star Neymar to the club in June 2013 result in the Spanish giants being known for more than just their football - and not in a good way?
For the mood drifting out of Camp Nou, a stadium that has long been revered as a temple of the global game, is one of disarray.
Barca, as if anyone needs reminding, is one of world football's most successful clubs on the pitch.
Over the last few years it has patented a brand of football that has swept all before it, winning admirers around the world.
Off the pitch, the club prides itself on its all-round approach to life, keen to portray its 'open, integrating and caring' side and having refused sponsorship on its shirts for many years because taking money for it sullied the spirit of the game.
Perhaps more significantly, Barca has long stood as an emblem for the region of Catalonia - "a way to show what Catalonia is in the world," as Gerard Pique recently told CNN - with Barca widely portrayed as a political spearhead in the bid to fulfill the ideal of independence from Spain.
Read: Rosell resigns over Neymar row
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Tuesday, 18 February 2014
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Is Barcelona becoming 'Less of a Club'?
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