Hansi Flick is the new coach of FC Barcelona. The Catalans remember his glorious time at FC Bayern above all else. His hunger for titles is still great, explains the former national coach.
Hansi Flick clapped his hands and beamed into the camera. “Culers, it’s our time. Força Barça,” said the 59-year-old in Catalan in a video message distributed by FC Barcelona. “Culers” is what the fans of the glorious Spanish football world club are called. Flick wants to bring joy to them and himself again in the future.
After his unsuccessful engagement as national coach, he is trying to build on past successes as the successor to former Barça coach and club legend Xavi.
Flick has a contract in Barcelona that runs until June 30, 2026, the club announced. It is a “great honor and also a dream” to work for this “wonderful club,” he said. “The philosophy they have is similar to mine. Possession and attacking football, those are the things I love.” His hunger for titles is still great.
According to Spanish media reports, Flick will not be officially presented until early next week at the earliest. His signature was preceded by an unprecedented back and forth regarding Barcelona’s former midfield star Xavi. In addition, there had been repeated speculation for months about Barcelona being Flick’s desired destination.
Memorable victory for Bayern over Barcelona
He is now expected to lead the heavily indebted 27-time Spanish champions to new glory. However, his failed engagement as national coach, which resulted in the team being eliminated in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is unlikely to have served as a reference for the Catalans. Rather, they remember Flick’s successful time at FC Bayern: In just over a year and a half as head coach, Flick won several titles with the Munich team from the end of 2019 to the summer of 2021. On the way to winning the Champions League in 2020, there was a memorable 8-2 win against Barcelona in the quarter-finals.
They have brought in a coach “who is known for his powerful, intense and unconventional football,” said a Barça statement. One who “has extensive experience at both club and national team level, where he has won practically every title that can be won in the world of football.”
Chaos surrounding club legend and predecessor Xavi
Flick’s appointment was preceded by months of chaos. Club legend Xavi announced in January that he would be resigning after the end of this season. Even then, Flick was being considered as a possible successor. The first turnaround followed in April, when Xavi, Barcelona president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco agreed to continue working together until at least 2025. But then the 44-year-old was told last Friday that he was leaving because Xavi’s public statements about the club’s financial situation and the lack of international competitiveness of his squad are said to have massively angered the Barça management.
Instead, Flick is now taking over. His advisor Pini Zahavi has a good relationship with President Laporta, which is one of the reasons why speculation about his involvement had already surfaced from time to time.
Matthäus is happy for Flick
“I’m very happy for Hansi. He has been in contact with FC Barcelona for a long time, the club had put out feelers for him. Hansi was patient and can now go to an absolute world club,” said German record international Lothar Matthäus to “Bild”. Flick’s style suits Barcelona.
In Barcelona, he will also meet goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen and midfielder Ilkay Gündogan, whom he promoted to captain of the national team. Flick knows Poland’s top striker Robert Lewandowski from his time at Bayern. “With ter Stegen, Gündogan and Lewandowski, he immediately has three people he can relate to, which is important,” explained Matthäus. Flick has a “special relationship” with Gündogan in particular.
Flick hopes for support from fans
In the league last season, they finished second, ten points behind champions and arch-rivals Real Madrid, and in the Champions League and the Spanish Cup they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain and Athletic Bilbao respectively – Barça has had an extremely unsatisfactory year.
A new era is set to begin with Flick. “I really want to start this journey with you,” he said to the fans. “It is very important to me that you support us.”
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
