The rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid is legendary. From the start the clubs were seen as representatives of the two rival regions of Spain, Catalonia and Castile, as well as the two cities themselves.

CF Barcelona enjoyed considerable success during the 1940s. In 1945, with Josep Samitier as coach and players like César, Ramallets and Velasco, they won La Liga for first time since 1929. They added two more titles in 1948 and 1949. In 1949 they also won the first Copa Latino, a forerunner of the European Cup. Samitier also recruited, Ladislao Kubala, regarded by many as the club's best ever player. He helped the club win La Liga and Copa del Generalisimo doubles in both 1952 and 1953. In 1952 they also won the Copa Latino for a second time. They also won the Copa del Generalisimo again in 1957 and the Fairs Cup in 1958.

With Helenio Herrera as coach, a young Luis Suarez, the European Footballer of the Year in 1960, and two influential Hungarians recommended by Kubala, Sandor Kocsis and Zoltan Czibor, the team won another national double in 1959 and a La Liga/Fairs Cup double in 1960. In 1961 they became the first club to beat Real Madrid in a European Cup game, thus ending their monopoly of the competition.

The 1960s were less successful for the club, with Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid monopolising La Liga. The completion of the Camp Nou, finished in 1957, meant the club had little money to spend on new players. However, the decade also saw the emergence of Josep Fuste and Charly Rexach from their cantera and the club winning the Copa del Generalisimo in 1963 and the Fairs Cup in 1966. In 1968 the club restored some pride by beating Real Madrid 1-0 in the Copa del Generalisimo final at the Bernabeu.

In 1973, with the Franco regime in decline the club was named Futbol Club Barcelona.