Barcelona has announced the appointment of former Bayern Munich and Germany boss Hansi Flick as their new coach, effective immediately.
The decision comes after the sacking of Xavi Hernandez last week. "FC Barcelona and Hansi Flick have reached an agreement for the German to become men's first team football coach until 30 June 2026," the club stated. Flick signed the contract at the club’s offices, accompanied by FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta.
Hansi Flick, renowned for leading Bayern Munich to a historic sextuple of trophies in 2020, holds the distinction of being the first coach ever to be dismissed by the German national team in September 2023 following a series of poor results. Despite this setback, Barcelona is confident in their choice, describing Flick as a "champion coach."
"By bringing Hansi Flick as coach, FC Barcelona have chosen 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," the club statement emphasized.
Flick, who is 59 years old, had been occasionally spotted watching Barcelona matches this season from the presidential box. His name was linked to the managerial role after Xavi Hernandez announced in January his intention to leave at the end of the season, during which Barcelona finished as runners-up to Real Madrid in La Liga.
Although Barcelona and Xavi initially decided in April that he would remain for the next season, Joan Laporta ultimately reversed this decision and dismissed Xavi last week.
Reflecting on his departure, Xavi cautioned his successor: "It won't be easy at all. They will suffer and they will need patience because it's a really difficult job," he said after winning his final match against Sevilla in La Liga. "The only thing that can save them is winning, whether they have been part of the club or not."
In addition to losing the Spanish title to Real Madrid, Barcelona also faced elimination from the Champions League in the quarter-finals by Paris Saint-Germain. Reports in the Spanish media suggest that Laporta was particularly angered by Xavi's comments earlier in May, where he highlighted the financial challenges Barcelona faced when competing with Real Madrid and other elite European clubs.