May 29 – Barcelona have appointed former German national team and Bayern Munich boss Hansi Flick as their new manager on a two-year contract.
Flick (pictured), was who sacked by Germany in September 2023, takes over from Xavi, who was dismissed last week.
Flick’s stint with Germany came after he spent two years at Bayern Munich, winning the Champions League and back-to-back German league titles.
He left Bayern for the German national team in 2021 but was fired last year after overseeing a 4-1 friendly loss to Japan that marked the country’s sixth game in a row without a win. Germany’s group-stage exit at the World Cup in 2022 was also a contributory factor.
Departing Barca boss Xavi, who announced in January his desire to leave the club at the end of the season, then reversed his decision only to be shown the door after all, said any successor would “suffer” in the role.
Xavi had guided Barcelona to La Liga and the Spanish Super Cup in his first full season in charge but this campaign they finished 10 points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid.
In a statement Barcelona said they had “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”.
Having been appointed in November 2021 to manage the club where he won 25 major trophies as a player, Xavi steered the team from ninth place in LaLiga to the runners-up spot following the sacking of Ronald Koeman. But this season Barca have fallen well short, coming second in LaLiga, 10 points behind Real Madrid.
When he left his post after last weekend’s final group of league fixtures, Xavi warned: “To the new manager, I tell you: You will suffer. This is a very complicated place to be.”
“It’s so difficult to coach Barcelona. When we got here we knew it was a difficult time for the club and I think we can be proud of the work we have done.”
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