5 reasons why some fans dislike Barcelona

#4 The shadow of UEFAlona - the darling of the establishment

That’s Cristiano Ronaldo’s “I knew you’d give it to your mate” face!

Carrying on from that point, most fans who have a gripe with Barcelona tend to use the words that ex-Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho made famous after a controversial 2-0 loss in the Champions League semi-final of 2011.

"If I tell UEFA what I really think and feel, my career would end now... Why does a team as good as they are need something [extra] that is so obvious that everyone sees it? I don't know if it is the UNICEF sponsorship or if it is because they are nice guys. I don't understand. They have power and we have no chance."

It might seem like the soundbites of a sore loser, but there can be no doubting that in European competitions, opponents are more likely than not going to end up playing with 10-men against Barcelona. Defenders of the team might claim that because Barcelona hold the ball more, they frustrate opponents into more rash tackles. That might be true, but more often than not, the replays tell a different story.

And even worse, Barcelona tend to win far more penalties than teams like Bayern Munich or Real Madrid, who attack just as much. Strange handballs, offside goals, fouls that have been let off - it seems very odd that Barcelona have been the beneficiaries of these whenever they play poorly. Take Robin Van Persie’s ludicrous sending off in their 2011 Champions League tie, which must go down as one of the worst decisions ever at that level.

Moreover, Barcelona players have a very nasty habit of crowding referees in order to get their opponents sent off. Some might say that this trait became far more apparent during Pep Guardiola's reign, as was the playacting and diving (but let's talk about that later)

And for some reason, that tends to happen a lot in European competitions. Was former Barcelona assistant Mourinho correct?