Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu stressed the importance of the club's continued global efforts as he addressed a classroom of Harvard Business School students for the second year in a row.
In a video conference with the Boston-based students, Bartomeu recapped the club's recent efforts in the United States to promote a global brand.
"I feel proud of a club like Barcelona that we are of interest for Harvard Business School," Bartomeu told the club website. "In the last 25 years we have become more European and then, with players like Ronaldinho and Lionel Messi, more global.
"So, of course, the students are interested. And we must teach them how we did it. It also obliges us to review our protocol and get better."
In July, Barcelona announced record revenues of €679 million for the 2015-16 season.
The club said that their latest financial reports show that the Spanish Primera Division champions returned a net profit of €29m after tax, to put them within target of the club's strategic plan to reach revenues of €1 billion in 2021.
"The only way we can do that is globally," Bartomeu said during a lecture that lasted one-and-a-half hours. "We hope to become the most admired, cherished and global club in the world."
�� Bartomeu describes FC Barcelona's global outlook to Harvard students https://t.co/X3lBjJuLbk #FCBlive pic.twitter.com/N9oECqXNdx
- FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) September 21, 2016
Bartomeu explained that he felt the system of socios, or members, made the club unique.
"It enables the owners to make decisions, and not just with their heads, but with their hearts as well," he said.
Barcelona's 2015-16 revenue is the highest annual total in the history of sports and up 12 percent over the previous year, according to Forbes, which rates them as the world's third most valuable sports franchise at $3.55bn.