Barcelona have appointed former Germany and Bayern Munich manager Hansi Flick as their head coach on a two-year contract.
Flick, who has not managed a club since being sacked by Germany in September 2023, will be tasked with reviving Barcelona’s fortunes after they failed to win a trophy this season under Xavi Hernández, who was dismissed on Friday.
Barcelona said in a statement announcing Flick’s appointment: “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.”
Flick’s trophies with Bayern included a Champions League and two Bundesliga titles. He guided Bayern to a treble in 2020, when they beat Barcelona 8-2 on course to winning the Champions League, and left in 2021 to manage Germany. He had been the assistant to Joachim Löw when Germany won the World Cup in 2014.
Quick Guide
How do I sign up for sport breaking news alerts?
Show
- Download the Guardian app from the iOS App Store on iPhone or the Google Play store on Android by searching for ‘The Guardian’.
- If you already have the Guardian app, make sure you’re on the most recent version.
- In the Guardian app, tap the Menu button at the bottom right, then go to Settings (the gear icon), then Notifications.
- Turn on sport notifications.
Xavi took charge of his final Barcelona game on Sunday, having been told two days earlier that he would not be staying beyond the end of the season, and afterwards issued a stark message.“To the new manager, I tell you: you will suffer,” Xavi said. “This is a very complicated place to be. This is a difficult job and you have to be patient.”
