Hansi Flick, a former coach of Bayern Munich who led the German squad to an 8-2 victory over the Catalan club four years prior, has taken Xavi Hernández’s place at Barcelona. Just minutes after declaring that it had struck a deal to cut connections with Xavi, Flick signed a two-year contract with Barcelona, who announced his hiring on Wednesday.
This is Flick’s first coaching position since his dismissal from Germany in September of last year, at the age of 59. He had previously won back-to-back German league titles and the Champions League during his two years at Bayern.
Accompanied by team executives, such as sports director Deco, Flick signed the deal in Barcelona’s offices. In 2020, Flick led Bayern to an 8-2 triumph in the Champions League quarterfinals.
“A man well-known for his teams’ high pressing, intense and daring style of play which has brought him great success at club level and international level, winning pretty much all there is to win in the world of football,” was the player Barcelona announced as their choice.
Great midfielder Xavi left Barcelona after the team’s disappointing second-place result in the Spanish league this season against bitter rival Real Madrid. On Sunday in the Spanish league, Xavi oversaw his final match as a Catalan club member—a 2-1 victory away to Sevilla.
Real Madrid hopes to sign Alphonso Davies for a pittance of about €30 million, according to Defensa Central. According to the source, Madrid is benefiting from Davies’ lack of urgency in signing him; instead, the pressure is on Bayern to hurry and sign him to a new deal. Ferland Mendy and Fran García are two outstanding left-backs that Real Madrid has on their team.
Real Madrid supporters’ excitement over the prospect of signing Alphonso Davies makes sense. This is to be expected, especially after Davies’ amazing semifinal performance against Real. Real Madrid is thrilled about the chance, but they won’t rush the transfer, as the report states. His departure occurred one month after he had retracted his January declaration that he would leave the club this summer. He stated in April that he had changed his mind due to the team’s improved play and his belief that it could overcome a season without a championship.
Joan Laporta, the president of Barcelona, had at the time openly praised Xavi’s decision to stay. However, it was reported last week that the president was not pleased with the head coach’s candid remarks regarding how the club’s dire financial situation would prevent it from competing with Real Madrid.
Just two managers in Europe, including Flick, can claim a sextuple of trophies in a single year. Robert Lewandowski, the former striker for Bayern Munich who is currently with the Catalan club, will be reunited with him. Flick will join Hennes Weisweiler and Udo Lattek as Barcelona’s third German coach in the club’s history.
Following their 8-2 thumping of Barcelona, Flick’s Bayern defeated Paris Saint-Germain to win the Champions League. During the height of the pandemic, it was a part of an incredible run of victories that also comprised the Bundesliga, German Cup, and Club World Cup.
That two-year employment with Bayern was Flick’s only position at a top-division team up until this point. Prior to then, he was most renowned for serving as the 2014 German team’s assistant coach at the World Cup.
After managing Germany’s 4-1 friendly defeat to Japan, which marked their sixth straight game without a victory, Flick left Bayern in 2021 to join the German national team. However, he was fired the following year. Another significant issue was Germany’s 2022 World Cup group-stage exit, which alarmed supporters who thought his managerial style had alienated important players.
In a documentary on the German squad in 2022, Flick was shown encouraging players who appeared disinterested or uninspired to think positively. In one moment, the team was shown a film of geese as part of an activity ostensibly designed to foster teamwork, which led to a lot of jeering from German supporters.