Barcelona started the season with a new president after Joan Laporta reached his term limit on 30 June, leaving behind a very successful club tenure.

[5] Barcelona started their transfer window only three days after the end of the 2009–10 season, by reaching an agreement with Valencia for Spanish international David Villa worth €40 million.

[6] On 30 June, Xavier Sala-i-Martin, treasurer and director in charge of the economic area, announced that Barcelona earned a record €445.5 million in revenue during the 2009–10 season.

The deal was worth €24 million and was reached "after considerable effort from the club [Barcelona] over the last few hours and the willingness and desire of the player to make the move".

"[14] On 19 September, Lionel Messi suffered an ankle injury due to an ill-advised tackle[15] by Atlético Madrid defender Tomáš Ujfaluši in the 92nd minute of their Round Three match at the Vicente Calderón Stadium.

[17] The incident caused widespread media attention because of Messi's high profile in the football world and brought up the debate of equality in protecting all players in the game.

Debates whether the fact that Messi's status prompted the intensive media and fans scrutiny of Ujfaluši and subsequent two match ban by the Competition Committee[18] appeared all over the internet, television, and print in the days following the incident.

[19][20][21][22] Due to the findings of the audit, Barcelona compromisarios (commissioners) voted to enforce the social action of responsibility against the club's previous board with 468 in favour, 439 against and 113 abstaining.

[24] On 18 October, Laporta defended his presidency in front of the media by stating that, "We just want them to give us the documentation regarding the biased and demagogic statement made by the representative of KPMG."

He continue to berate the new board by stating, "My greatest desire after spending a few years of my life at Barça and the results we got was to become a socio, go back to my seat, go to football games with my kids and enjoy this club.

The match featured 13 of the 23 winning players on Spain's 2010 FIFA World Cup squad and currently the two most successful managers in football, with Pep Guardiola and Real Madrid's José Mourinho.

[26] The game showcased Barça's mastering of the tiki-taka in combination with the Total Football philosophy and the superb team-work of whom many consider the top three players in the world: Messi, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta.

[27] The international press hailed Barcelona's impressive win and their football as currently the best in the game,[28][29][30][31][32][33] while some questioned whether the Real Madrid squad was "ready" for the magnitude of this match.

[42] On 19 January, Barça's team record of 28 matches unbeaten was ended after being defeated 3–1 by Real Betis of the Segunda División in the second leg of their quarter-finals tie of the Copa del Rey.

[54] Barcelona, in defence, released a statement "publicly expressing its total indignation at these unfounded references which link the club to doping practices and to condemn such attitudes, which have nothing to do with fair play and gravely affect the image of sporting competition".

He stated that "yesterday [14 March], FC Barcelona released a statement and, paralleled, sent a fax to Cadena COPE requesting the rectification and the origin of the grave report of defamation.

In the coming days it will request at first instance with the Barcelona's courts an order of protection of their right to honor claims for damages caused by those responsible for defamation.

"[57] On the same day, Barcelona announced that French international defender Eric Abidal was diagnosed with a tumour on his liver which would be operated on the Friday of the same week.

[61][62] On 2 April, Barcelona defeated Villarreal 1–0 at El Madrigal with five missing starters due to injuries and rest with a goal in the 66th minute from Centre back Gerard Piqué.

[63] With the victory, they increased their league lead to eight points after Real Madrid's 1–0 shock loss to Sporting de Gijón at the Santiago Bernabéu.

[68] On 20 April, Barcelona lost the final of the Copa del Rey to Real Madrid 0–1 after extra time, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winning goal in the 103rd minute.

[72] Real Madrid manager José Mourinho accused UEFA of playing favorites to Barcelona after he was ejected for mocking the fourth official after Pepe's red card.

[73] Barcelona's back-up goalkeeper José Manuel Pinto saw a red card at half-time for a scuffle with Real Madrid's defender Álvaro Arbeloa when both teams went to the locker rooms.

[75] On 3 May, Barcelona booked a trip to Wembley Stadium for the UEFA Champions League Final after a 1–1 draw (3–1 aggregate) with Real Madrid at Camp Nou.

[77] The result gave Barcelona a six-point lead with two matches remaining which, combined with their superior head-to-head record with Real Madrid, ensured that they finished top of the table.

[86] Total squad cost: €154.5 million Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply.