FC Barcelona's 2001–02 season was the second under the presidency of Joan Gaspart and the single full season of management by Carles Rexach (who had replaced Lorenzo Serra Ferrer in the latter part of the previous campaign).
The summer of 2001 saw long-serving team captain Josep Guardiola leave the club, while many transfer deals were concluded to give a new face to the squad with the signings of Roberto Bonano, Javier Saviola, Patrik Andersson, Francesco Coco, Geovanni, Philippe Christanval and Fábio Rochemback.
This was also the final season at Barcelona of veteran players like Sergi Barjuán, Abelardo and the talismanic Rivaldo.
Barcelona had a mediocre campaign in La Liga, finishing in 4th place, 11 points below eventual champions Valencia; in Europe, on the other hand, they produced some very good performances, reaching the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they were eliminated by fierce rivals (and eventual winners) Real Madrid.
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.